By Bruce Sterling, Published February 12th, 2018 Digital stardust won’t magically make future cities more affordable or resilient. The term “smart city” is interesting yet not important, because nobody defines it. “Smart” is a snazzy political label used by a modern alliance of leftist urbanites and tech industrialists. To deem yourself “smart” is to make the…
By Susan Crawford In partnering with local governments to create infrastructure, Alphabet says it is only trying to help. Local governments shouldn’t believe it. A DECADE AGO, Chicago handed over control of its parking meters to a cadre of private investors. Officials pitched the deal as an innovative win-win. In exchange for a 75-year lease, the…
PETER NORTON PUBLISHED JANUARY 19, 2018 Peter Norton is an associate professor in the Department of Engineering and Society at the University of Virginia, and the author of Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City. For pedestrians to be safe, we can’t assume that streets are inherently for cars You’ve seen them. Pedestrians…
By Joe Cortright , Published on 30/11/2017 Congestion pricing is a win-win strategy and the only way to truly reduce traffic congestion The urban transportation problem is a hardy perennial: no matter how many lanes we add to urban freeways, traffic congestion is just as bad, if not worse than ever. In the face of “free” road…
By Joe Cortright, Published Jan 3rd, 2018 In auto-land, pedestrians are just one more patented gimmick away from being safe The dominant approach to automobile safety has, for many years, been the quintessential technical fix. Some combination of new technologies (anti-lock brakes, collapsible steering columns, crush zones, multiple air bags, etc) will make cars safer…
By Tim Higgins, Published June 20th, 2017 Ride-sharing and self-driving vehicles will redefine our relationship with cars. Automakers and startups are already gearing up for the change. Cars are going to undergo a lot of changes in the coming years. One of the biggest: You probably won’t own one. Thanks to ride sharing and the…
BY MIKE MACIAG | DECEMBER 5, 2017 Less than 10 percent of U.S. households are car-free. For years, many cities have pushed their residents to adopt car-free lifestyles. Doing so can help limit further traffic congestion and pollution, while also saving people money and improving their physical fitness. By and large, though, the vast majority of Americans…
Jacksonville’s enforcement of pedestrian violations raises concerns that it’s another example of racial profiling. A Times-Union/ProPublica Investigation By Benjamin Conarck (Florida Times-Union)Topher Sanders and Kate Rabinowitz (ProPublica.org) The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office issues hundreds of pedestrian citations a year, drawing on an array of 28 separate statutes governing how people get around on foot in Florida’s most populous…
By John Harris Published October 23rd, 2017 If ours is an age in which no end of institutions and conventions are being disrupted, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that one of the most basic features of everyday life seems under serious threat. If you are fortunate enough to live in a house with a drive,…
Published 28 October, 2017, by Rodrigo Alonso Translated by Amanda Pimenta This interview was initially published in Spanish by City Manager as “Jan Gehl, ciudades para la gente.” Jah Gehl is recognized as a follower of Jane Jacobs, the “grandmother” of urbanism and humanist planning. He has been a professor at the Danish Real Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen and visiting professor in Canada, the United…
A post-automobile world? 