Alt-transpo: Seattle is changing the conversation on the value of streetcars and how to build them. Some new and interesting station designs for Amtrak’s future Tacoma station. King County Metro Transit’s budget has some interesting details for the next two years, especially if you’re a fan of new buses! Bellevue is planning bike lanes on 116th Avenue NE. Danny Westneat doubles down on his idea that it’s impossible to live a car-free life in Seattle. Tom takes King 5 to task on their wrong reporting over biking laws and has some thoughts on SPD bike enforcement.
Spain, NYC, and beer: Madrid is embarking on an even more restrictive congestion charging effort, don’t have a secured parking space it the city center, don’t bother entering–unless you want a huge fine. New York City plans to reduce carbon emissions by 80%. Everything you wanted to know about the trends of beer and alcohol in the US, this ain’t your grandpa’s Old Fashioned. Bruges’s brewery pipeline is being built underground. New York City is less dense than it was 100 years ago.
Progress can be made: Seattle is getting red bus-only lanes, Portland is getting red bicycle advisory lanes. Life changing events change people’s commute habits. Bike and ped blaming needs to stop, and it should start by getting rid of the fallacious notion of “contributory negligence”. The US DOT now has standards for bike lanes in their uniform traffic manual for streets. UN study says that investing in public transportation could save $100 trillion dollars, protect 1.5 million lives annually, and cut urban transportation emissions by more than 50% by 2050. Most of the US saw little recovery in 2013.
Imagine it: Swanky Bell Street loft could be yours for $1.2 million… Cotswold home with glazed window conservatory addition. Schemata Workshop profiles the additions to Seattle Prep. Calgary may get an amazing new library. Aarhus, Denmark is considering a new waterfront promenade and bathing area. The Sydney Opera House could be overshadowed by a 200-meter modern tower. Sugar Mountain is moving its HQ from Pike Place to the Denny Triangle.
Change the impact: 35 years of shrinking arctic ice in one graphic. Naturally, August was the warmest month in known history. The world’s population in an infographic showing how big a city would be if everyone lived in it according to the prevailing contemporary density. Which cities would be safest with impending climate change? Where all the CO2 emissions are coming from…
Boondoggles: Spotlight on Seattle–the deep bore tunnel is king of the highway boondoggles. Go figure, traffic drops on Indiana roads leading to a state toll company to file for bankruptcy. And, the gas tax just doesn’t pay for roads, here’s all the evidence you need, so stop the meme “but I’m a driver, I pay for roads!”–nope, you don’t.
City politics: Mayor Ed Murray unveils his new budget proposal for 2015. Council Member Kshama Sawant loses it over electricity rates, wants flat rates for residential consumers.
Map of the week: The most insanely detailed hand-drawn map of San Francisco, this thing is no joke!
Stephen is a professional urban planner in Puget Sound with a passion for sustainable, livable, and diverse cities. He is especially interested in how policies, regulations, and programs can promote positive outcomes for communities. With stints in great cities like Bellingham and Cork, Stephen currently lives in Seattle. He primarily covers land use and transportation issues and has been with The Urbanist since 2014.