ODOT’s Rose Quarter Tolling Contradiction

ODOT maintains it will use tolls to pay for the I-5 Rose Quarter Freeway widening project, but that it doesn’t need to evaluate tolling as part of the project’s environmental assessment, because tolling isn’t “reasonably foreseeable.”

Top StoryJoe CortrightMay 23, 2023freeway widening, freeways, highways, highway spending, toll roads, environment, end highway expansion, oregon

Lifted Pickup Trucks: An Invitation to Rethink Normal

LPTs have become an easy villain for street safety advocates, but are they really what we should be focusing on when examining our transportation options vis-à-vis our vision of a flourishing community?

Owens, Top StoryTiffany Owens ReedMay 23, 2023car culture, safety, streets, Street Design, cars, car dependency, safe and productive streets

Taking Back City Streets

Why local entrepreneurs should reject bad state-level codes and demand local ownership of roads.

Trending, Top StoryZoe TishaevMay 22, 2023streets, urbanism, North Carolina, safety, DOT, pedestrians, safe and productive streets

Silly Rabbit, Streets Are for Kids

Signs that plead for drivers to not run over children don’t actually do much to prevent crashes. In an age where streets belong to cars, however, what can we do to protect our kids?

Top StoryWill GardnerMay 22, 2023safety, children, speeding, speed, enforcement, pedestrians, safe and productive streets

The Largest Independent Network of Community Gardens is Still Growing in Denver

For 45 years, this Denver organization has been seeding community, one garden at a time.

Community Stories, Top StorySeairra JonesMay 19, 2023community, community gardens, gardening, colorado

Compromise Doesn’t Mean Giving Up on Your City’s Vision

The process of getting a new development approved often yields results that make no one happy. However, there is an opportunity here to be more assertive about your community’s vision.

Edward Erfurt, Top StoryEdward ErfurtMay 19, 2023architecture, developers, development, public engagement, community engagement, aesthetics

From a Nice Amenity to a Vital Asset

How a local bike trail went from being a fun “extra” for its town to an important part of the community’s transportation system.

Community Stories, Top StoryWill GardnerMay 18, 2023bike infrastructure, bike trails, bikes, bicycling, e-bikes, bike lanes, protected bike lane, transportation, active transportation, safe and productive streets, massachusetts

Livermore Proves Safer Streets Can Happen Sooner, Rather Than Later

Utilizing low-cost, short-term methods to calm traffic and catalyze long-term change has allowed locals in this community to expedite long-requested interventions to a dangerous corridor.

Community Stories, Top StoryAsia MieleszkoMay 18, 2023safety, Street Design, tactical urbanism, public engagement, car crash, Crosswalk, pedestrians, safe and productive streets, california

9 Neighborhood Events for Next to Nothing

Connecting with your neighbors is an important part of building a stronger town. Here are nine ways you can start forging those relationships, for free (or next to free)!

Emma Durand-Wood, Top StoryEmma Durand-WoodMay 18, 2023community, neighborliness, neighborhoods

Parking Regulations Threaten to Demolish Coffee Shop

In Kansas City, KS, parking regulations threaten to demolish local coffee shop Kinship Cafe for a parking lot. The cafe’s owner, T.J. Roberts, joins us today on Upzoned to talk about his struggle to save his business.

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsMay 17, 2023podcast, parking minimums, coffee shops, Third Places, upzoned, end parking mandates and subsidies

How the Design of Corners Affects Speed

You may be surprised by how often corners are designed for speed, not safety. The good news is, this can be fixed.

Top StoryRuth Rosas, Mike McGinn, and Ian ThomasMay 17, 2023Street Design, safety, speeding, speed, pedestrians, safe and productive streets

In Conversation With an Expert: Melany Alliston of Toole Design

Crash Analysis Studio panelist Melany Alliston shares what challenges exist in ameliorating our built environment today, and what stood out in the crash she analyzed in Indianapolis.

Top StoryAsia MieleszkoMay 16, 2023Crash Analysis Studio, car crash, Street Design, safe and productive streets, indiana

Four Lenses for Better Understanding Your City

Cities are complex systems, and wrapping your mind around them can be tough. Here are some frameworks to guide you.

Owens, Top StoryTiffany Owens ReedMay 16, 2023cities, complex systems, resilience

Raleigh Woman Battles City Hall to Reopen Her Great-Grandparents' Neighborhood Store

Reopening a neighborhood store that was a fixture in its community for decades shouldn’t be this hard.

Top Story, Community Stories, TrendingAsia MieleszkoMay 15, 2023local food, food deserts, corner store, corner stores, North Carolina, markets, local regulation, local business, small business, safe and productive streets, neighborhoods

The Road Expansion Lobby Doesn’t Want You to Read This

Let’s bust five myths on this highway expansion project.

Top StoryMichel Durand-WoodMay 15, 2023highways, highway spending, local government, budget, freeway widening, induced demand, end highway expansion, transparent local accounting, canada

5 Reasons Why Office-to-Residential Conversions Are a Serious Challenge

Many agree that encouraging residential construction in underutilized urban areas is a good idea, but here’s why turning an office building into an apartment isn’t always so easy, in practice.

Top StoryBen AbramsonMay 12, 2023Incremental Housing, housing, downtown, developers, development

No Community Should Have To Wait a Year or More To Take Action After a Traffic Death

When someone loses their life on your community’s streets, everyone needs to be prepared to take immediate action to prevent future deaths.

Edward Erfurt, Top StoryEdward ErfurtMay 12, 2023Crash Analysis Studio, car crash, safety, pedestrians, little bets, safe and productive streets

The Federal Government’s Congestion Mitigation Money Almost Paid for a Parking Garage

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority is concerned about decreased ridership on public transit... So, why is it pushing for time and money to be spent on more car infrastructure?

News, Top StoryAsia MieleszkoMay 11, 2023transit, transportation, infrastructure, garages, end parking mandates and subsidies, pennsylvania, public transportation

Connecting With Your Community Is Easier (and More Powerful) Than You May Think

And it begins with just showing up!

Emma Durand-Wood, Community Stories, Top StoryEmma Durand-WoodMay 11, 2023community, community building, local conversations

The Problems With Police Crash Reports

More and more transportation agencies are incorporating the use of police crash reports to determine empirically if a road is safe. Here’s why that doesn’t work.

Top StorySeairra JonesMay 10, 2023Crash Analysis Studio, car crash, policing, transportation, pedestrians, department of transportation, safe and productive streets, engineers

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