Made In USA: Portland's Streetcar Debut
July 2, 2009|Transportation Secretary LaHood lauds Portlands dedication to transit, environment
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U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was in Oregon the other day to tout metro Portland's mass transit innovations and lavish praise on the first U.S.-made streetcar in nearly 60 years.
The streetcar, built by Oregon Iron Works subsidiary United Streetcar, will be deployed in a few years on a new line connecting the Pearl District and the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry.
Portlan'd Oregonian newspaper said LaHood's first visit to Portland as a member of President Barack Obama's Cabinet was intended to underscore the administration's commitment to mass transit and walkable, mixed-use real estate development across the nation. (Read the Oregonian story)
Below, standing next to the nation's largest platinum LEED building at the base of the aerial tram in the shadow of the South Waterfront manufactured high density community, LaHood announced,…
Training NY municipalities in Transit-Oriented Development
June 26, 2009|Tappan Zee Bridge/I-287 Corridor Project includes training, tools for TOD
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Cities from Suffern in Rockland County to Port Chester in Westchester County in New York will receive Transit-Oriented Development resources and training as part of a Tappan Zee Bridge/I-287 Corridor Project, including assistance from Reconnecting America.
"The new initiative, a technical assistance program called “Transit-Oriented Development – Building Quality Communities around Transit,” is designed to provide municipalities with tools, resources and hands-on exposure to leading-edge land use and planning techniques to meet a broad range of community goals," the New York State Department of Transportation announced.
The TOD program follows the state’s Lower Hudson Valley Smart Growth initiative with its aim to assist communities in planning for economic growth and development. The Tappan Zee Bridge/I-287 Corridor Project team has retained a consortium of renowned TOD experts to provide the training and other resources to the corridor communities. The…
Teaching how to address major challenges of TOD projects
June 23, 2009|National Charrette Institute to hold July sessions in Portland and Harvard
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The National Charrette Institute (NCI) is a non-profit that teaches professionals and community leaders the NCI Charrette System, a design based, collaborative project management system that features a multiple-day charrette. The National Charrette Institute teaches the Charrette System for addressing the two major challenges of Transit Oriented Development (TOD).
TOD’s have a complex stakeholder context.
TOD’s are very complex design problems.
TODs have a large set of community stakeholders each with their own and often-conflicting agendas. In addition, TOD’s have multiple project partners including transit agencies, state and local transportation departments, local planning agencies, metropolitan planning organizations and developers.
The NCI Charrette System anticipates potential stakeholder challenges and opportunities early in the project. The stakeholder analysis tool identifies potential project promoters and blockers as well as key…
DOT, HUD, EPA Coordinate 'Livability' Effort
June 16, 2009|Six "livability principles" will guide policy coordination
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DOT Secretary Ray LaHood, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson announced an interagency partnership for sustainable communities on June 16. Six "livability principles" will guide policy coordination.
Earlier this year, HUD and DOT announced an agreement to implement joint housing and transportation initiatives. (See this story) With EPA joining the partnership, the three agencies will work together to ensure that these housing and transportation goals are met while simultaneously protecting the environment, promoting equitable development, and helping to address the challenges of climate change.
The six ‘livability principles’: Provide more transportation choices. Promote equitable, affordable housing. Enhance economic competitiveness. Support existing communities. Coordinate policies and leverage investment. …
Earlier this year, HUD and DOT announced an agreement to implement joint housing and transportation initiatives. (See this story) With EPA joining the partnership, the three agencies will work together to ensure that these housing and transportation goals are met while simultaneously protecting the environment, promoting equitable development, and helping to address the challenges of climate change.
The six ‘livability principles’: Provide more transportation choices. Promote equitable, affordable housing. Enhance economic competitiveness. Support existing communities. Coordinate policies and leverage investment. …
The Built Environment And Childhood Health
June 5, 2009|Pediatrics panel discusses link between sprawl and childhood weight problems
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The American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee on Environmental Health has issued a policy statement that links suburban America's over-reliance on cars with childhood weight problems.
"An estimated 32 percent of American children are overweight, and physical inactivity contributes to this high prevalence of overweight. This policy statement highlights how the built environment of a community affects children’s opportunities for physical activity," the paper published in the June 2009 issue of the academy's Pediatrics magazine.
In part, the problem arises from suburban sprawl, which has made children far more reliant on being driven around by their parents.
"Building new communities that are less car dependent and making existing communities more dense are strategies that can make it easier for people to walk to their destinations of daily life," the paper notes. "Higher land-use mix encourages more utilitarian trips among residents and increases…
The Other Side Of The Tracks
May 29, 2009|May 29, 2009
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All the Transit and TOD News That's Fit to Print or Blog These links to news stories and blog posts about transit and TOD are collected daily by Jeff Wood, Reconnecting America's GIS specialist and a passionate transit advocate. Jeff's entire post plus commentary is sent by email to members of Reconnecting America (to join visit our Get Connected page); the first five articles of his daily post (which sometimes contains as many as two dozen links) are available here to nonmembers without his commentary.
Seattle: Northgate Grows Up
DJC
This spring heralded the grand opening of 507 Northgate, the first mixed-use project developed in the Northgate area since the adoption of the Growth Management Act in 1990. Wallace Properties' project provides 163 sustainable, workforce apartments and 55,000 square feet of retail at the corner of Northeast…
DJC
This spring heralded the grand opening of 507 Northgate, the first mixed-use project developed in the Northgate area since the adoption of the Growth Management Act in 1990. Wallace Properties' project provides 163 sustainable, workforce apartments and 55,000 square feet of retail at the corner of Northeast…
The Other Side Of The Tracks
May 28, 2009|May 28, 2009
More News & Resources:
All the Transit and TOD News That's Fit to Print or Blog These links to news stories and blog posts about transit and TOD are collected daily by Jeff Wood, Reconnecting America's GIS specialist and a passionate transit advocate. Jeff's entire post plus commentary is sent by email to members of Reconnecting America (to join visit our Get Connected page); the first five articles of his daily post (which sometimes contains as many as two dozen links) are available here to nonmembers without his commentary.
Blogosphere: Transit Maps to Scale
Human Transit
Neil Freeman recently posted a great collection of rail rapid transit maps, all drawn to scale, and all at the same scale. The image at right, of course, is New York City,....
Human Transit
Neil Freeman recently posted a great collection of rail rapid transit maps, all drawn to scale, and all at the same scale. The image at right, of course, is New York City,....
New Maps Show Urban Living Helps Curb Global Warming
May 28, 2009|Research shows 70 percent less greenhouse gas emissions in compact neighborhoods
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New research by the nonprofit Center for Neighborhood Technology comparing greenhouse gas emissions of city and suburban households has found that transportation-related emissions of people living in cities and compact neighborhoods can be nearly 70 percent less than those living in suburbs. This builds on CNT’s Housing+Transportation Index research, which shows that average transportation costs vary from a low of 14 percent of area household median income in transit-rich, compact communities, to highs of 28 percent or more in exurban areas where employment, retail, and other amenities are more dispersed.
“If you’re deciding where to live, consider moving to an urban area," suggests Scott Bernstein, CNT’s President. "You’ll help fight global warming by emitting less CO2. And you’re likely to drive less, so you’ll spend less on transportation, saving up to $5,000 annually.”
CNT has put the information covering 53 U.S. metropolitan areas into an…
The Other Side Of The Tracks
May 27, 2009|May 27, 2009
More News & Resources:
All the Transit and TOD News That's Fit to Print or Blog These links to news stories and blog posts about transit and TOD are collected daily by Jeff Wood, Reconnecting America's GIS specialist and a passionate transit advocate. Jeff's entire post plus commentary is sent by email to members of Reconnecting America (to join visit our Get Connected page); the first five articles of his daily post (which sometimes contains as many as two dozen links) are available here to nonmembers without his commentary.
National: Airport Rail Connections
USA Today
Riding the rails between downtown and the airport is becoming a reality for more U.S. travelers. With their roadways jammed with cars and shuttles, a growing number of domestic airports are building or have plans for a rail link that will connect passengers from the terminals to regional…
USA Today
Riding the rails between downtown and the airport is becoming a reality for more U.S. travelers. With their roadways jammed with cars and shuttles, a growing number of domestic airports are building or have plans for a rail link that will connect passengers from the terminals to regional…
The Other Side Of The Tracks
May 25, 2009|May 25, 2009
More News & Resources:
All the Transit and TOD News That's Fit to Print or Blog These links to news stories and blog posts about transit and TOD are collected daily by Jeff Wood, Reconnecting America's GIS specialist and a passionate transit advocate. Jeff's entire post plus commentary is sent by email to members of Reconnecting America (to join visit our Get Connected page); the first five articles of his daily post (which sometimes contains as many as two dozen links) are available here to nonmembers without his commentary.
Cincinnati: Groups Aims to Stop Constant Referendums
Cincinnati Business Journal
As far as Rob Richardson, Bobby Maly and Joe Sprengard are concerned, the streetcar ballot initiative isn't about the city's $200 million streetcar proposal, not at all. The ballot language would require a majority vote of the people before Cincinnati city government…
Cincinnati Business Journal
As far as Rob Richardson, Bobby Maly and Joe Sprengard are concerned, the streetcar ballot initiative isn't about the city's $200 million streetcar proposal, not at all. The ballot language would require a majority vote of the people before Cincinnati city government…
