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October 7, 2010Datablog Roundup BY JORDAN SALINGER Operating with a much larger canvas than SF, and the ability to shape its surroundings, the planned Dubai City dwarfs SF and takes on the Bay AreaSprawl Crawl: A CEO's for Cities study shows sprawl as the true cause of traffic. As opposed to the Urban Mobility Report, which focuses specifically on travel times, this report takes into account such factors as land use and community design into its traffic calculations. GOOD magazine and Atley G. Kasky teamed up for this infographic.Journalism...
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October 6, 2010Notes from Abroad: Dublin's Bike-Share a Success BY COLLEEN MCHUGH All photos by Colleen McHughIn its first year, Paris' popular Vélib' bike share program — one of the first major programs of its kind and the largest system in the world — battled higher-than-expected rates of vandalism and theft. But in Dublin, where dublinbikes launched last September, the surprise has been just how smoothly and successfully the program ran in its first year. A modest system in comparison to Vélib' — with only 450 bikes compared to...
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October 5, 2010Banner Month for California Air Resources Board BY LAURA TAM, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT POLICY DIRECTOR CARB and MTC have adopted strong regional targets for reducing emissions through better planning and less driving.[Photo Credit: flickr user Jovi Girl J] In late September, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted unanimously to adopt a strong set of regional targets for passenger vehicle emissions reduction under SB 375, the state's anti-sprawl law. The historic vote was the culmination of a two-year effort which included the entire Regional Targets Advisory Committee process and...
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October 1, 2010Weekly Snapshot BY ANIKA JESI The Tenderloin National Forest. [Photo Credit: Colleen McHugh]Seattle Chooses NY Design Firm for New Waterfront: The same urban design firm that helped dream up the Highline in NYC has been selected as the lead designer for Seattle's new waterfront transformation, one of the more significant civic projects in the city's history. The $830 million project will attempt to reconnect Seattle to its central waterfront after the ancient Alaskan Way viaduct is torn down. Austin Comprehensive...
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September 24, 2010Weekly Snapshot BY ANIKA JESI Valencia Streetscape Improvements [Photo Credit: Colleen McHugh]Bike Sharing Expands in Washington: The nation's capital is setting a positive transit example with its rapidly expanding bike-share program that has grown tenfold over the past couple of years. Influenced by DC's success, neighboring cities are now adopting similar bike-share programs. Garbage Mountains Slowly Morph into $160 Million New York Park: One of the country's largest landfills may someday become one of New...
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September 23, 2010PARK(ing) Day 2010 Time-Lapse Video
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September 22, 2010PARK(ing) Day 2010 PARK(ing) Day 2010 was a resounding success -- at SPUR, in San Francisco and around the world. SPUR's PARK(ing) spot used milk crates, giant wooden spools, house plants and a colorful painted canvas to transform two parking spaces in front of the Urban Center into a delightful urban park. Friends of the Urban Forest kindly donated trees; Rebar lent us Bushwaffle and a section of their Walklet (both featured in our current exhibit, DIY Urbanism: Testing the grounds for social change). Stay...
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September 21, 2010Parklet Request for Proposals Announced by SF Planning Department BY KIT HODGE The Divisadero Street parklet in front of Mojo Cafe.Last Friday at a noontime forum at SPUR, the San Francisco Planning Department announced the release of a Request For Proposals for parklets, due October 18. Anyone interested in installing a parklet in front of your business or institution should download the application and program overview here. Pass along the information to businesses and other institutions that you think could be good parklet hosts. October 18th is right around the corner...
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September 20, 2010Datablog: What it Takes to Get There BY JORDAN SALINGER Click to enlarge Commute times to zip code 94105 (SOMA) in San FranciscoTo the dismay of many a futurist envisioning the world in 2010, the vast majority of people commute significant distances to their jobs. Although the recent recession has led to reduced vehicle miles traveled, the average American still commutes 46 minutes a day. And while we don't always have a choice about where we work and live, commuting reflects both the successes and limitations of our transportation network and...
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September 17, 2010Weekly Snapshot BY ANIKA JESI PARK(ing) Day at SPUR. More photos here. [Photo Credit: Colleen McHugh)Cars and Cities: The removal of the Alaskan Way viaduct in Seattle has the potential to pave the way for transit innovation. However, its proposed replacement, an underground freeway, would leave little room for new transit ideas, and might reinforce car dependence.Once Celebrated Ambassador Hotel Finds New Life as a School: The Ambassador Hotel, a Los Angeles landmark, is now being converted into six different state-of-the-...
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