Current Stories
Editor's Top Picks
Views: New Urbanism's Contrarion
Toronto Globe and Mail
05/16/2008
New Urbanism is dangerous because it claims to cure the very sprawl and social class separation that it causes. There are worse ways to develop the suburbs, but none are so two-faced. The New Urbanism is city planning's equivalent of the "compact SUV."
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Vancouver needs affordable housing: realtor
Vancouver Sun
05/16/2008
Demand for housing in downtown Vancouver will only increase over the next few years, and developers need to look at cheaper ways to build high-density condominium units, real estate marketer Bob Rennie told an audience of 700 developers and realtors Thursday at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.
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Alaska Gas Average Price 1st to Pass $4
Anchorage Daily News
05/15/2008
The average price for regular unleaded gasoline in Alaska rose above $4 a gallon Wednesday, making it the first state in the nation to pass that mark.
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Peak-Oil Spike Reshapes the Suburbs
Georgia Straight
05/15/2008
The reality of peak oil will see properties classified into two types in the near future, according to Simon Fraser University professor Anthony Perl.
One will be properties from which owners can get to work, leisure activities, and services predominantly by car. The other offers alternatives to the automobile such as public transit, biking, and walking.
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Views: Boise Biking Best
San Francisco Bay Guardian
05/15/2008
By drawing a legal line in the sand between cars and bikes, allowing them different rules in the same environment, Idaho's bike laws ultimately foster a mutual respect between drivers and cyclists. In Boise it's common to see road signs instructing drivers and cyclists to "share the road." It may be common sense advice for cyclists, but to motorists, it's a subtle reminder that bigger shouldn't mean better.
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Views: Clark County Officials Ready for Bridge, Light Rail
Vancouver Columbian
05/14/2008
The Clark County community has reached the point in bridge visioning where moderation should affect both hopes and plans. Longer light rail routes, circular systems in Clark County and more elaborate transportation forms (proven-loser monorail is even mentioned in some ultra-long-range dream-fests) should be set aside for discussions among our descendants. The focus now belongs on replacing the bridge and accommodating light rail.
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What Happens if the Viaduct Collapses?
Seattle Weekly
05/14/2008
The state recently announced that it has increased its list of viaduct replacement options from three to 10. But with the removal of the old, unstable structure still four years off, some might wonder: What if an earthquake were to hit in the meantime?
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Views: Seattle Council Daydreams Bad Streetcar Routes
Seattle Weekly
05/14/2008
Though the numbers were rough, Seattle Department of Transportation officials reported that the proposed routes—which would cost hundreds of millions of dollars to build—could count on operational savings if bus service in those same areas is cut. But the problem with that, as noted by some of the more skeptical council members, is that you're simply replacing one kind of transit that can get snarled in traffic with another.
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Land Deal to Move Seattleites to the Exurbs
The Stranger
05/15/2008
Under the latest King County development proposal, Maple Valley city manager Anthony Hemstad says, the county could allow up to 2,000 new housing units in the Donut Hole, or as many as 6,000 new residents. For all practical purposes, those newcomers would live in Maple Valley—a bedroom community of 21,000 people.
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The Bike Issue: San Francisco Behind the Pack
San Francisco Bay Guardian
05/15/2008
San Francisco may have a higher per-capita rate of bicycle use than any major city in the United States, and that number may be steadily rising.
Yet there are still political barriers to overcome in a city where cars are the dominant transportation option. Mayor Newsom has yet to show a willingness to back his green rhetoric with policies that actually take space from cars.
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Getting in Gear for Bicycling in San Francisco
San Francisco Bay Guardian
05/15/2008
10 things Bay Area cyclists should know.
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Seattle Bicyclists Share the Road
Seattle Times
05/15/2008
Friday is Bike to Work Day, and locally, 20,000 people are expected to ride.
In Seattle, which sees itself as an ecological leader, an estimated 4,000 to 8,000 people already ride to work every day, depending on the weather. Mayor Greg Nickels has launched a 10-year plan to triple bicycle use by adding trails, signals, signs and 143 miles of bike lanes.
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San Francisco's First 'Spare the Air Day'
San Francisco Chronicle
05/15/2008
Tomorrow will be the Bay Area's first Spare the Air Day of the 2008 smog season, air quality officials said this afternoon. And while they're encouraging people to ride public transit, they're not offering free rides.
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New, Greener Development for Tsawwassen
Vancouver Sun
05/15/2008
Almost two decades ago a proposal to develop a swath of land in Tsawwassen known as the Spetifore Lands became synonymous -- rightly or wrongly -- with the evils of urban sprawl.
But today a different owner is promoting a new and greener future for the 307-hectare property, now called Southlands, one that would have small farms, compact neighborhoods and shops.
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Views: Vancouver Island Rail Bumped for Buses
Victoria Times Colonist
05/15/2008
The Island Corridor Foundation -- the best idea on Vancouver Island since the Nanaimo bypass -- won big at the casino yesterday.
Great Canadian Casino is donating $300,000 to help the non-profit foundation further its dream of a functioning rail and transportation corridor the length of the Island. But the rail may be nothing more than a dream, with more funding going to buses.
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Rising Oil Prices Bring Asphalt Cost Up
Everett Herald
05/15/2008
Whether it's fixing a pothole or repaving miles of cul-de-sacs and curvy back roads, sweet, smooth blacktop continues to cost Snohomish County taxpayers more per mile each year.
Repaving a road is running $210,000 a mile this construction season, based on the apparent low bid received this week by the county for summer paving work.
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South Sound Bike Commuters Tout Two-Wheeling It
Tacoma News Tribune
05/15/2008
South Sound bicycle commuters tout the benefits of two-wheeling it, while advocates urge newcomers to try National Bike to Work Week It began with a two-mile ride at lunch.
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Kistap Bicyclists Bike to Work
Kitsap Sun
05/15/2008
Bicycles are expected to flood the roadways on Friday — Bike to Work Day.
Organizations throughout Puget Sound are planning events to recognize and tabulate those exchanging vehicles for bikes during their commute. In Bainbridge and Bremerton, bicyclists can get free gifts, snacks and commuting information.
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Clark County Residents Seek Vote on Light Rail
Vancouver Columbian
05/14/2008
Worries that light rail is coming to Clark County regardless of public opposition prompted a group of local residents Tuesday to request an advisory vote.
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Seattle Streetcar Proponents Take to the Streets
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
05/14/2008
The Seattle Streetcar Alliance kicked off its latest effort Tuesday at the Westin Hotel, talking up the streetcars and preparing to take its message to people in Queen Anne, Belltown, downtown, Pioneer Square, the International District, Ballard, Fremont and the University District where new lines might reach.
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Housing Along Hood River Increased Farming
Portland Oregonian
05/14/2008
A study of housing built on Hood River Valley farmland from 1994-2005 shows a surprising result: The new homes didn't interfere with farm operations and in some cases enhanced them.
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'Bike to Work Day' in Anchorage
Anchorage Daily News
05/14/2008
Be ready for a spike in bikes come Thursday.
Anchorage has proclaimed the day "Bike to Work Day," and more than 700 people have e-mailed the city saying they plan to participate -- a tip-of-the-iceberg number, based on last year's figures.
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Views: Anchorage Wants More Trees, Please
Anchorage Daily News
05/14/2008
Anchorage may take good care of some trees, but less wholesale clear-cutting for new development would be nice.
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Pushing Carpools Instead of Transit
Vancouver Sun
05/14/2008
With ridership growing on an already crowded system, TransLink won't be launching any advertising campaigns urging people to take public transit because of soaring gas prices.
But it is encouraging people to turn to carpooling, telecommuting and bicycling.
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Missoula Studies City's Density
Missoula Missoulian
05/14/2008
A denser city center in the future would require less money for transportation and lead to less congestion, according to a draft 2008 Envision Missoula report released this week by the Office of Planning and Grants.
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