Showing posts tagged transportation
10 Principles for Sustainable Transport + Free, Downloadable Book! From architect Jan Gehl and and Walter Hook, Executive Director of the Institute of Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), come the following 10 principles for sustainable transport: 1. Walk the walk: Create great pedestrian environments2. Powered by people: Create a great environment for bicycles and other non-motorized vehicles3. Get on the bus: Provide great, cost-effective public transport4. Cruise control: Provide access for clean passenger vehicles at safe speeds and in significantly reduced numbers5. Deliver the goods: Service the city in the cleanest and safest manner.6. Mix it up: Mix people and activities, buildings and spaces. 7. Fill it in: Build dense, people and transit oriented urban districts that are desirable.8. Get real: Preserve and enhance the local, natural, cultural, social and historical assets. 9. Connect the blocks: Make walking trips more direct, interesting and productive with small-size, permeable buildings and blocks.10. Make it last: Build for the long term. Sustainable cities bridge generations. They are memorable, malleable, built from quality materials, and well maintained. The principles are found in the free, downloadable book, ’Our Cities Ourselves: 10 Principles for Transport in Urban Life’, which:   shows how cities from New York to Nairobi can meet the challenges of rapid population growth and climate change while improving their competitiveness. The publication’s purpose is to reframe the issue of transport so that it is no longer seen as separate from, but rather integral to, urban design. The book was published as a part of the global Our Cities Ourselves campaign to:  bring attention the critical role of transportation in climate change and rapid urban development. (Photo credit: Our Cities Ourselves and Fábrica Arquitetura and CAMPO aud) View high resolution

10 Principles for Sustainable Transport + Free, Downloadable Book!

From architect Jan Gehl and and Walter Hook, Executive Director of the Institute of Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), come the following 10 principles for sustainable transport:

1. Walk the walk: Create great pedestrian environments
2. Powered by people: Create a great environment for bicycles and other non-motorized vehicles
3. Get on the bus: Provide great, cost-effective public transport
4. Cruise control: Provide access for clean passenger vehicles at safe speeds and in significantly reduced numbers
5. Deliver the goods: Service the city in the cleanest and safest manner.
6. Mix it up: Mix people and activities, buildings and spaces. 
7. Fill it in: Build dense, people and transit oriented urban districts that are desirable.
8. Get real: Preserve and enhance the local, natural, cultural, social and historical assets. 
9. Connect the blocks: Make walking trips more direct, interesting and productive with small-size, permeable buildings and blocks.
10. Make it last: Build for the long term. Sustainable cities bridge generations. They are memorable, malleable, built from quality materials, and well maintained.

The principles are found in the free, downloadable book, ’Our Cities Ourselves: 10 Principles for Transport in Urban Life’, which:  

shows how cities from New York to Nairobi can meet the challenges of rapid population growth and climate change while improving their competitiveness. The publication’s purpose is to reframe the issue of transport so that it is no longer seen as separate from, but rather integral to, urban design.

The book was published as a part of the global Our Cities Ourselves campaign to: 

bring attention the critical role of transportation in climate change and rapid urban development.

(Photo credit: Our Cities Ourselves and Fábrica Arquitetura and CAMPO aud)

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Allison Arieff on New York City’s Taxi of the Future Contest Allison Arieff, editor at large for GOOD and New York Times writer, has a new article looking at NYC’s “Taxi of Tomorrow” competition. While they’re a long way from the yellow cabs featured in the 1980s hit show ‘Taxi’ Arieff is not particularly impressed with the three finalists; describing them as dull, boxy and lacking in imagination. But, along the way she brings up some important issues about the role(s) of taxis in urban environments: The winner stands to supply more than 13,000 medallion taxis for at least a decade, a deal that could be worth up to $1 billion. Imagine if, in turn, the yellow spots monopolizing New York’s streets could help transform the urban landscape, perhaps by being smaller and more streamlined, having less environmental impact, or providing more comfort, convenience and aesthetics to passengers. What if the “tomorrow” part manifested itself not just in the object (the car) but in new initiatives inspired by the broad national movement toward collaborative consumption, like a taxi-sharing app that could help facilitate carpooling from J.F.K. into the city? In an effort to address these and other issues Arieff connects with “artist/inventor (and former R&D guy for Honda) Steven M. Johnson, a self-described conjurer of “ludicrous” ideas” who ended up producing 60 taxi concepts of his own following their conversation. Nine are featured in a slideshow accompanying Arieff’s article. While Johnson’s concepts don’t appear to answer all of Arieff’s questions they are inventive and, as she reminds us: sometimes the wildest ideas result in the best solutions. As for my favourite, I like the ‘bike-friendly’ concept, which is amusing, if not particularly practical or safe. It seems inspired by the ‘straddling bus’ concept that lit up planning and transportation media last year.Taxi! SG

Allison Arieff on New York City’s Taxi of the Future Contest

Allison Arieff, editor at large for GOOD and New York Times writer, has a new article looking at NYC’s “Taxi of Tomorrow” competition. While they’re a long way from the yellow cabs featured in the 1980s hit show ‘Taxi’ Arieff is not particularly impressed with the three finalists; describing them as dull, boxy and lacking in imagination.

But, along the way she brings up some important issues about the role(s) of taxis in urban environments:

The winner stands to supply more than 13,000 medallion taxis for at least a decade, a deal that could be worth up to $1 billion. Imagine if, in turn, the yellow spots monopolizing New York’s streets could help transform the urban landscape, perhaps by being smaller and more streamlined, having less environmental impact, or providing more comfort, convenience and aesthetics to passengers. What if the “tomorrow” part manifested itself not just in the object (the car) but in new initiatives inspired by the broad national movement toward collaborative consumption, like a taxi-sharing app that could help facilitate carpooling from J.F.K. into the city?

In an effort to address these and other issues Arieff connects with “artist/inventor (and former R&D guy for Honda) Steven M. Johnson, a self-described conjurer of “ludicrous” ideas” who ended up producing 60 taxi concepts of his own following their conversation. Nine are featured in a slideshow accompanying Arieff’s article.

While Johnson’s concepts don’t appear to answer all of Arieff’s questions they are inventive and, as she reminds us:

sometimes the wildest ideas result in the best solutions.

As for my favourite, I like the ‘bike-friendly’ concept, which is amusing, if not particularly practical or safe. It seems inspired by the ‘straddling bus’ concept that lit up planning and transportation media last year.Taxi!

SG

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Report: Bicycling and Walking in the U.S.: 2010 Benchmarking Report The Alliance for Biking and Walking has released their 2010 survey of biking and walking trends in the US. The report reveals a ton of data including: bicycling and walking levels and demographics; bicycle and pedestrian safety; bicycle and pedestrian policies and provisions; funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects; bicycle and pedestrian staffing levels; written policies on bicycling and walking; bicycle infrastructure including bike lanes, paths, signed bike routes, and bicycle parking; bike-transit integration including presence of bike racks on buses, bike parking at transit stops; bicycling and walking education and encouragement activities; and public health indicators including levels of obesity, physical activity, diabetes, and high blood pressure. While it concentrates on US trends it also features some interesting comparison data from other jurisdictions. For example, in my first scan of the report the cycling and walking share of trips from different countries caught my eye: In particular, given the following graph which appears to shows a positive relationship between investments and mode share: To this end, recent investments by the US Department of Transportation are already bearing fruit and its new Walk Friendly Cities program should further bolster sustainable transportation options in the US. SG

Report: Bicycling and Walking in the U.S.: 2010 Benchmarking Report

The Alliance for Biking and Walking has released their 2010 survey of biking and walking trends in the US. The report reveals a ton of data including:

bicycling and walking levels and demographics; bicycle and pedestrian safety; bicycle and pedestrian policies and provisions; funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects; bicycle and pedestrian staffing levels; written policies on bicycling and walking; bicycle infrastructure including bike lanes, paths, signed bike routes, and bicycle parking; bike-transit integration including presence of bike racks on buses, bike parking at transit stops; bicycling and walking education and encouragement activities; and public health indicators including levels of obesity, physical activity, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

While it concentrates on US trends it also features some interesting comparison data from other jurisdictions. For example, in my first scan of the report the cycling and walking share of trips from different countries caught my eye:

In particular, given the following graph which appears to shows a positive relationship between investments and mode share:

To this end, recent investments by the US Department of Transportation are already bearing fruit and its new Walk Friendly Cities program should further bolster sustainable transportation options in the US.

SG

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Free Download: Transportation in the Post-Carbon World       The California-based Post Carbon Institute has been releasing free, downloadable PDF chapters of their newly published Post Carbon Reader over the past few months. The institute:  provides individuals, communities, businesses, and governments with the resources needed to understand and respond to the interrelated economic, energy, and environmental crises that define the 21st century. We envision a world of resilient communities and re-localized economies that thrive within ecological bounds. As for the Reader, it features:                                    essays by some of the world’s most provocative thinkers on the key issues shaping our new century, from renewable energy and urban agriculture to social justice and community resilience.  The latest chapter to be released is Transportation in the Post-Carbon World, co-written by Anthony Perl and Richard Gilbert; authors of the book Transport Revolutions: Moving People and Freight Without Oil. The chapter: presents the concept of a “transport revolution” as a way to guide thinking about the mobility changes that lie ahead. Transport revolutions will differ significantly from the incremental changes in mobility that have been the norm over the past twenty five years, and indeed over most of history. Appreciating the differences between revolutionary change and incremental adjustments will be useful in pursuing transition strategies that can move more people and freight without oil before it is too late to avoid a global energy crisis. You can buy the book or download this chapter and earlier ones here. SG View high resolution

Free Download: Transportation in the Post-Carbon World      


The California-based Post Carbon Institute has been releasing free, downloadable PDF chapters of their newly published Post Carbon Reader over the past few months. The institute: 

provides individuals, communities, businesses, and governments with the resources needed to understand and respond to the interrelated economic, energy, and environmental crises that define the 21st century. We envision a world of resilient communities and re-localized economies that thrive within ecological bounds.

As for the Reader, it features:                                   

essays by some of the world’s most provocative thinkers on the key issues shaping our new century, from renewable energy and urban agriculture to social justice and community resilience. 

The latest chapter to be released is Transportation in the Post-Carbon World, co-written by Anthony Perl and Richard Gilbert; authors of the book Transport Revolutions: Moving People and Freight Without Oil. The chapter:

presents the concept of a “transport revolution” as a way to guide thinking about the mobility changes that lie ahead. Transport revolutions will differ significantly from the incremental changes in mobility that have been the norm over the past twenty five years, and indeed over most of history. Appreciating the differences between revolutionary change and incremental adjustments will be useful in pursuing transition strategies that can move more people and freight without oil before it is too late to avoid a global energy crisis.

You can buy the book or download this chapter and earlier ones here.

SG

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Documentary: Riding Bikes with the Dutch

A young American family travels halfway around the world looking for bicycle bliss and ends up rediscovering their own home.
After a home exchange in Amsterdam with my wife and young son, our whole outlook on cycling changed. Instead of being satisfied with being stuck in grid lock in Southern California, we began to see how the simple act of riding a bike can change the whole outlook of a city. When we returned home to Long Beach, CA we found that our hometown was striving to become the most “Bicycle Friendly City in America”.

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Study: Bus Commuting 33% Less Stressful Than Driving

A new study out of the UK finds that:

“Commuters who travel by bus suffer a third less stress than those making the same trip driving”

The extra car based stress is attributed to three main factors:

  • Driving in heavy traffic – especially against a deadline – requires a high level of vigilance, even for experienced motorists. This requires the brain to work especially hard processing a myriad of incoming information and making, often split-second, decisions.
  • Congestion and delays can raise blood pressure and physical tension which may manifest itself as ‘road rage’, a term coined by Dr Lewis in 1985 to describe the explosive outbursts of anger shown by some motorists. Increases in blood pressure can have serious long-term health consequences as well as causing drivers sometimes to take reckless and foolish decisions behind the wheel.
  • A sense of frustration of ‘wasting one’s life’ behind the wheel of the car, unable to do anything more productive than casual conversations or listening to the radio. On a bus it is possible to fill the time more profitably by doing some work or reading.

More on the study here.


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Found this neat planning image in the article Nimble Cities: Help Slate Make Transportation In and Between Cities More Efficient. The article is… … the second in Slate’s Hive series, a project designed to harvest the world’s collective wisdom to solve the world’s most pressing problems. We are asking you, essentially, to become transportation hackers (and we’re talking not simply cars but the whole of urban and interurban movement). We are looking for your best ideas. They may be your own wild brainstorms, or they may be examples, whether grand or mundane, of things you’ve experienced in your own city or while traveling. But we want your best proposals for solving an increasingly relevant problem: how to move the most people around and between cities in the most efficient, safe, and perhaps even pleasurable manner. And then we want you to vote on which of those submissions you think are best.  Slate has since closed the contest but you can read the winning submissions in these articles: The Nimblest CitySlate readers’ best ideas for making city transportation more efficient.Tom Vanderbilt | July 14, 2010 Bullet Trains, Flying Bikes and Umbrellas, Oh My!Video: Slate readers’ best and wildest ideas on how to fix our cities.July 14, 2010 Is It Time To Buy a Narrow Car?The three most popular ideas for making city transportation more efficient.Tom Vanderbilt | July 13, 2010 Slate also produced a couple of their own: How eliminating parking spaces could improve urban transportation and how bicycle highways could increase cycling.   SG

Found this neat planning image in the article Nimble Cities: Help Slate Make Transportation In and Between Cities More Efficient. The article is…

… the second in Slate’s Hive series, a project designed to harvest the world’s collective wisdom to solve the world’s most pressing problems. We are asking you, essentially, to become transportation hackers (and we’re talking not simply cars but the whole of urban and interurban movement). We are looking for your best ideas. They may be your own wild brainstorms, or they may be examples, whether grand or mundane, of things you’ve experienced in your own city or while traveling. But we want your best proposals for solving an increasingly relevant problem: how to move the most people around and between cities in the most efficient, safe, and perhaps even pleasurable manner. And then we want you to vote on which of those submissions you think are best. 

Slate has since closed the contest but you can read the winning submissions in these articles:

Slate also produced a couple of their own: How eliminating parking spaces could improve urban transportation and how bicycle highways could increase cycling.  

SG

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    Cycling Copenhagen: Through North American Eyes

    While Streetfilms was in Copenhagen for the Velo-City 2010 conference, of course we wanted to showcase its biking greatness.  But we were also looking to take a different perspective then all the myriad other videos out there.  Since there were an abundance of advocates, planners, and city transportation officials attending from the U.S. and Canada, we thought it’d be awesome to get their reactions to the city’s built environment and compare to bicycling conditions in their own cities.

    If you’ve never seen footage of the Copenhagen people riding bikes during rush hour - get ready - it’s quite a site, as nearly 38% of all transportation trips in Copenhagen are done by bike.  With plenty of safe, bicycle infrastructure (including hundreds of miles of physically separated cycletracks) its no wonder that you see all kinds of people on bikes everywhere.  55% of all riders are female, and you see kids as young as 3 or 4 riding with packs of adults.

    SG

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    'Subway on the Street' | New York Magazine

    The MTA has a simple, not very expensive ticket for improving how the city gets around: Revolutionize the bus. But can even the most sensible ideas get implemented these days?

    A Bus-Centric Second Avenue


    (Photo: Courtesy of the MTA and Dot; Illustration by Joe Zeff Design)

    This fall, First and Second Avenues will be redesigned to accommodate Manhattan’s first Select Bus Service. The new M15 SBS will introduce some features that have radically improved bus systems abroad—and avoid others that planners have deemed too controversial.

    1. Pay on the street
    More than a third of all bus delays can be attributed to the time it takes passengers to board. Here they will swipe their MetroCards at street kiosks before the bus arrives.

    2. Enter at the back
    A new fleet of buses improve boarding time by being lower to the ground—and allowing rear-door entrance.

    3. Hold the light green
    Soon after Select Bus Service launches, buses will be equipped with “signal prioritization” technology that tells upcoming traffic lights to delay turning red.

    4. Own the lane
    A painted lane will be reserved for buses, and cameras will photograph stray cars and trucks. But some activists—and politicians—criticize the program for not including physically separated lanes.

    SG

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