Spruce it up: In Portland, local artists have memorialized David Bowie and Prince on bike lanes.
Pretty square: The most rectangular shaped countries in the world have been analyzed and ranked with a new shape index.
Toxic: Lead paint may seem like a thing of the past, but it still persists at shocking rates in our most industrial cities.
Inequitable access: A new report suggests that access to carshare and bikeshare programs in communities of color is worse than their counterparts.
Tunnel sagas: The subcontractors that rescued Bertha, the tunnel boring machine digging the new SR-99 tunnel, when she was stuck, are now suing the Seattle Tunnel Partners for $11 million in added pay ($).
100 years: In 1916, New York City instituted its first zoning code regulating building heights. A New York author takes a look at why and how ($).
Falling short: The SR-520 bike trail has been extended further west to Seattle, but it still stops short.
Growing Roosevelt: 201 new dwelling units are proposed in the burgeoning Roosevelt neighborhood, right by future light rail.
Intersecting: Bidirectional cycletracks intersecting at major locations can be a serious engineering challenge in American cities; Atlanta offers one solution to make them safer.
Vendor beware: It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there for street food vendors, but especially in New York City, where you might not expect it, because of tough vending laws.
Signless?: With the advent of newer technologies, will we see a day when there are no street signs? (I hope not.)
Piecora’s mixed-use: Capitol Hill Seattle Blog reviews the final design version of a new mixed-use development proposed for the old Piecora’s site on E Madison St.
HSR Down Under: There is a $150 billion plan in Australia that ties construction of high-speed rail and six new inland cities together.
Stage 1 complete: Work on the 23rd Avenue rehabilitation project has been disruptive, but the first stretch of it has reopened to two-way traffic.
Do’s and Don’ts: Revisions to the Pike/Pine neighborhood design guidelines for new development are currently out for public review.
SFO ADUs: San Francisco has passed a new ordinance allowing more accessory dwelling units, and it’s not just for granny flats; even fiveplexes could add another unit.
Rio: The Olympics are on the way to Rio de Janiero. Take a look at the beautiful venues and the modernist masterpieces of old.
More bike lanes: SW Admiral Way in West Seattle is set for construction of new bike lanes this summer.
Map of the Week: A new interactive map of London acts as the ultimate picture collage stepping back through time.
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.