Streetsblog Network

There was a window a few years ago when Portland allowed developers to construct large apartment buildings without any parking. But even in Portland there’s pressure to subsidize cars at the expense of housing affordability. In 2013, city leaders decided to require at least one space per five units in buildings with 30 or more apartments. Larger buildings … Continued

Surely and steadily, biking is on the upswing in Detroit. Thousands of people turn out for “Slow Roll” social rides, a cultural event that exposes more people to the possibilities of cycling in the city. And the city has been adding bike lanes at an impressive clip. David Sands at Network blog We are Mode Shift reports that Detroit may get a new feather … Continued

The city of Waterloo, Ontario, is in the process of building a new 12-mile light rail line called Ion Rapid Transit. Now the most pressing question is how to make it a success. Mike Boos at TriTag says the transit line should have no trouble meeting ridership forecasts, with bus routes along the corridor already carrying nearly as many passengers as initially … Continued

A lot of cities and transit agencies have been inspired by Houston’s recent effort to overhaul its bus network with a grid of high-frequency routes. One of those cities is its neighbor to the north, Dallas. According to Brandon Formby at the Dallas Morning News’ Transportation Blog, DART is planning to redesign its bus network, with many of the same goals: transforming from … Continued

Read Doug Trumm’s post at the Urbanist about Sound Transit’s $50 billion, 25-year expansion plan, known as ST3, which the agency revealed yesterday. It’s ambitious in scope, but will the new lines meet the region’s most pressing transit needs? Piecing together the project list has been an exercise in regional politics, since voters will decide this November whether … Continued

Downtown Columbus, Ohio, is facing a parking crunch. But parking prices aren’t high enough in this city to make garage construction a viable private investment. Faced with this situation, a lot of cities would pour a bunch of money into a big subsidized garage or two. But in Columbus, several officials have hit on a smarter idea: providing … Continued

Former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford died yesterday at the age of 46. He had been battling cancer. Ford was a high-profile, polarizing figure who built a political career playing off tensions between the urbanizing central city and Toronto’s working-class outer neighborhoods. Most famous to Streetsblog readers was Ford’s almost comical hatred of bike lanes. “Cyclists are a pain in … Continued

High-speed police chases have no place in crowded cities. The risk of killing innocent bystanders is just too high to justify maybe preventing the “bad guy” from getting away. Branden Klayko at Network blog Broken Sidewalk reports that Louisville recently revised its police chase policy to become “among the strictest in the country,” and it’s saving lives: In 2012, … Continued

A promotional video for the Milwaukee Bucks’ new downtown arena promises the public a “ripple effect” for their investment of hundreds of millions of dollars, saying the stadium will “transform” the neighborhood with development and jobs. The whole thing is pretty over the top. Jeramey Jannene over at Urban Milwaukee has evaluating the recently unveiled stadium design. He notes that, for some … Continued