News: Arizona Transit Ridership, Amtrak Food Service Cost, Taking CAHSR To Vegas, Climate Science Ban, Social Impact Bonds
August 3, 2012
More News & Resources:
| Tracks News - In this section you'll find news from cities around the country as well as interviews and general reporting on issues. It might be from a newspaper or a blog, but it counts as news. |
| TRANSPORT |
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Arizona: Ridership Of Buses, Light Rail Jumps Arizon Republic Valley Metro reported more than 71 million bus and light-rail rides for this past fiscal year, a 5.1 percent bump from fiscal 2011, including record numbers of light-rail passengers. Between July 1, 2011, and June 30 of this year, there were more than 13.5 million light-rail boardings, up nearly 760,000, or 5.9 percent, from the previous year. For the same period, there were nearly 57.5 million bus boardings, an increase of nearly 2.7 million, or 4.9 percent, over fiscal 2011. Weekends showed the greatest percentage increases.... Read On |
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National: Amtrak Food Service A Big Money Loser Bloomberg Amtrak lost $84.5 million selling food and beverages last year and $833.8 million over 10 years, House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman John Mica said, calling for a "better way" to run those operations.... Read On |
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London: Traffic Down As Olympic Revelers Take Trains UK Press Association The busy streets of London have apparently emptied of traffic, with figures suggesting nearly one in five motorists has abandoned the roads.... Read On |
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London: Magician Hired To Entertain Olympic Rail Riders Rail.co Magician Danny Hall has been making Olympic travel blues disappear for London Overground passengers in Stratford. Hall will be performing on trains around the Olympic Park throughout the Games. A LOROL spokesman said: "We've had great feedback from the passengers who are also Tweeting about it."... Read On |
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Nevada: Group Wants To Link CAHSR To Las Vegas Citizens for Modern Transit A Nevada-based group is looking to create an extension to the California bullet train that would stretch the Golden State's rail network all the way to Las Vegas. The current $68 billion California-only line is overseen by the government's High Speed Rail Authority, but the 200-mile Vegas line, XpressWest, would be supported by a group of private investors led by casino developer Tony Marnell.... Read On |
| URBANISM/HOUSING/CITIES |
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North Carolina: State Bans Climate Science Predictions ABC News A new law in North Carolina will ban the state from basing coastal policies on the latest scientific predictions of how much the sea level will rise, prompting environmentalists to accuse the state of disrespecting climate science.... Read On |
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New York: Investing In Social Impact Bonds Wall Street Journal Goldman Sachs will invest nearly $10 million in a New York City jail program - an experiment in social services financing that promises a profit if the program cuts recidivism rates by more than 10%, officials said Thursday.... Read On |
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National: Governors Get on Board With Smart Growth DC.Streetsblog As yesterday's post about Oklahoma City's fight to replace a downtown highway with a real urban boulevard illustrated so well, cities are often at the vanguard of smart urban planning and transportation choices while state-level agencies can be laggards. So it's nice to see some governors and ex-governors stepping forward to emphasize the value of smart growth policies.... Read On |
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Research: Dawn Of The Dead City Journal Of Urban Affairs (H/T Atlantic Cities) The findings from this analysis suggest that the percent of vacant residential properties increases in census tracts with elevated poverty rates, higher percentages of renters receiving rental assistance, and long-term vacancies. They also suggest that the percent of abandoned residential properties increases in census tracts with highly concentrated black populations, elevated poverty rates, long-term vacancies, and higher percentages of business addresses. We conclude that these relationships are unique to older core cities experiencing systemic population and job losses.... Read On |
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Research: Food Cartology City of Portland (H/T Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space) The Urban Vitality Group (UVG) partnered with the City of Portland, Bureau of Planning to study the effects that food carts have on street vitality and neighborhood livability. The number of food carts within the city seems to be growing, while the City lacks sufficient knowledge about the industry to guide policy. The purpose of the study was to assess the benefits and negaƟve consequences of allowing food carts within the city and to ascertain what economic opportuniƟes may be offered by food carts, especially for low-income and minority entrepreneurs.... Read On |
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Miami: How Street Art Is Changing Neighborhood Atlantic Cities Stand at the corner of 3rd Avenue and 26th Street in Miami, and there are shoes as far as you can see. Not real shoes. The low-slung industrial buildings that surround you are crudely painted with images of pumps and sneakers and wingtips, with signs touting "shoes direct from factory" and "cash and carry shoes." Some of the buildings are occupied, others empty.... Read On |
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New York: Rooftop Farm Helps Storm Water Runoff Epoch Times Although community gardens and rooftop farms have been gaining popularity for helping to produce urban local food and educating children, Brooklyn Grange's farm has an additional purpose. Using vegetation, soil, and other infrastructure, the farm is expected to absorb 1.5 million gallons of storm water per year.... Read On |
