Posts by David Alpert — Founder
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Save traffic. Don’t fund transit.
Dan loves traffic. But his lifestyle is under attack by politicians who are trying to “mitigate” traffic. Keep reading…
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Parking and “equity”
The most common objection to Shoupian parking principles is equity. What about all the poor people who can’t afford to pay to park? The truth is that many more poor people don’t park, and would benefit far more from better neighborhoods and better transit. Rob Goodspeed has more. Keep reading…
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DC versus New York
New York on baseball: Gave away the only park in a poor neighborhood so the Yankees could build a stadium next to their old one instead of replacing the old one. Spent $400 million in public money on the stadium, Keep reading…
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The Complete Streets Act
Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa introduced a Complete Streets Act to push cities and towns to design their streets for people, bicyclists, and traffic all together. Streetsblog is cautiously pleased but sees “Hummer-sized loopholes”. Here’s Smart Growth America’s analysis (they’re strongly for it.)… Keep reading…
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Greater Greater Pentagon
Ryan Avent speculates about how the Pentagon site could be a lot better: Keep reading…
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No Office Monoculture Area
Richard Layman is concerned that NoMA is developing with too much office space and too little residential. Right now, office space is more valuable for developers to build, and with the housing market cooling, that’s not about to change. Layman and Ryan Avent suggest raising the height limit. Extra floors could make it feasible to build a mix instead of all offices. On the other… Keep reading…
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Shoupism arrives in DC
DC is now the latest city and the first major East Coast metropolis to implement performance parking pricing as recommended by the prophet of parking, Professor Donald Shoup. Legislation passed yesterday by the DC Council sets up two performance parking pilot programs, near the ballpark and in Columbia Heights. The bill is really four bills in one: Tommy Wells’ plan for… Keep reading…
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NoMA Public Radio, not New Parking-Lot Radio. Nice for Pedestrians Radio?
NPR is moving its headquarters to NoMA, the area north of Union Station that is experiencing major revitalization. I just hope their new building is better than their old one in terms of engaging the streetscape, and that the old one can be turned into something that, unlike many of the newer buildings around Mt. Vernon Square, presents something other than a blank wall to passing pedestrians. Keep reading…
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Google Maps: Bike There
There’s a site with a petition for Google Maps to add a “bike there” option showing directions by bike, including bike lanes. Great idea, though the obstacle to Bike There is finding bike lane data. While we’re at it, how about just a “walk there”? Keep reading…
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Bush budget terrible for cities
Not only is President Bush seeking to raid the transit trust fund to pay for more highways, it cuts funding for Amtrak and eliminates the HOPE VI program that is helping cities like DC turn failed urban renewal projects into desirable mixed-income housing. Smart Growth America has a detailed analysis and is asking citizens to urge their Congresspeople to reject these terrible priorities. Keep reading…