Santa Cruz, CA (est. pop. 64,729), has a thriving downtown. Some 4,000 workers have jobs in the district, and downtown’s mix of early-morning cafés and late-night bars create what Claire Gollogly, the city’s transportation planner, calls a “23-hour” city. There is a catch, though. Downtown Santa Cruz is home to just 2,000 parking spaces. “We…To read more — login/subscribe
Walkable streetscapes and new mobility options are in demand, but there’s a dark side to U.S. traffic statistics. Nationwide pedestrian deaths rose in 2019 to their highest level in three decades, even as the nation’s roadway crash fatalities overall have been falling, according to a new report. Some 6,590 pedestrians died after being struck by…To read more — login/subscribe
The town square of Athens, AL (est. pop. 25,176), boasts a century-old courthouse, bustling restaurants, and a church. Successful events such as a farmers market and a concert series are staged in the historic downtown. Incongruously, downtown Athens was also long home to expansive thoroughfares seemingly designed for high-speed suburban traffic, not for a quaint…To read more — login/subscribe
After an increase in pedestrian deaths along two main drags, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio in January lowered the speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph along Third and Hamilton avenues in Brooklyn. According to the city’s Department of Transportation, there were six pedestrian deaths recorded on Third Avenue in 2019, up…To read more — login/subscribe
In recent years, scooter-share companies went from a hipster hallmark to the bane of downtown leaders. Now, after the vehicles have become nearly ubiquitous in some downtowns, electric-scooter companies are downsizing. Electric scooter-rental startup Lime cut 14 percent of its workforce as it exited a dozen markets in the U.S. and abroad. Lime said in…To read more — login/subscribe
Parking requirements designed for suburban shopping areas are sapping the life from downtown business districts, argues Charles L. Marohn Jr. “We don’t need the miles and miles of asphalt dictated by local governments’ minimum parking mandates,” says Marohn, president of the nonprofit organization Strong Towns and author of the 2019 book Strong Towns. “Communities have…To read more — login/subscribe
For decades, downtown leaders have lamented highway-building projects that cut awkward paths through urban cores. The infrastructure boom of the 1950s and 1960s claimed many a victim, recreating traffic patterns in ways that trampled on pedestrianism and made clear that the needs of suburban residents trumped the quality of life of those living in the…To read more — login/subscribe
Cities across the country have invested hundreds of millions of dollars on streetcar services. Despite much fanfare, the results have been mixed. In one recent example, the Loop Trolley in St. Louis, MO (est. pop. 318,000), is struggling to attract riders. The Loop Trolley launched in late 2018 with support from the federal government and…To read more — login/subscribe
Little Estes Park, CO (est. pop. 6,248), sees far more vehicle traffic than most towns its size. As a gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park gets 4.5 million visitors a year, most of them crammed into a tourist season from mid-May through October. “We have such intense traffic congestion,” says Vanessa Solesbee, parking…To read more — login/subscribe
