Recent Posts
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Westwood Station
In Westwood, MA is the Route 128 rail station, a stop on Amtrak’s Acela and Regional trains between Boston and the rest of the Northeast Corridor cities to the south. It is also a stop on the MBTA’s commuter rail, and immediately off Massachusetts’ Route 128, (in that area at least) better know to the rest of the country as I-95. Keep reading…
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Economists for sprawl?
A Harvard economist, Edward Glaeser, got some press recently for a report he has written about the connection between land-use rules in Massachusetts towns and housing prices. It’s really not much of a surprise that many towns, like Lincoln and Weston (among the richest towns in the Commonwealth) use land restrictions to keep their towns small and expensive. Keep reading…
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Build This California!
San Francisco is one of California’s few dense, walkable cities. Many San Francisco residents do not own cars and get around on a daily basis using public transportation. Keep reading…
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A backbone for people and bicycles
I first read about this idea in the RPA’s analysis of congestion pricing, but now that traffic reduction ideas are a talked-about topic, another more radical idea has hit the blogs: closing Broadway to traffic. Paul White of TA brings up the idea in a Gothamist interview, and MemeFirst follows up with some more detailed detailed thoughts. Keep reading…
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A conservative take on the importance of public spaces
Consider two groups of people, both of whom call themselves “conservatives.” One is the Republicans of Bush, Frist, DeLay, Enron, and the oil companies. They believe that unregulated business and low taxes are the cures for all ills. They also claim to believe in small government, but they really believe in big government that gives subsidies,… Keep reading…
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Congestion pricing, pro and incoherent
Enjoying a new spate of publicity, the idea of congestion pricing rated a pair of columns, pro and con, in the Daily News. The pro article, by Paul White of Transportation Alternatives, laid out some clear arguments backed up by facts: London’s pilot program reduced traffic 18% and sped up travel by 30%, in addition to generating revenue for mass transit projects. Keep reading…
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Principled development
This summer, I convened a series of discussions about development, urban planning, and policy in New York City. Out of those discussions I wrote down some thoughts, but ended up putting them in a drawer as people got busy with the campaign, other jobs, and life… but better late than never, here is a draft. The Imperative Today, New York City is entering a new era of… Keep reading…
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Congestion pricing: an idea whose time is coming
Congestion pricing in Manhattan below 60th Street is “being whispered in the ears of City Hall officials” according to the Times (in an article written by Sewell Chan!) It’s an idea that keeps popping up, for the simple reason that it’s an obvious, huge win. The only obstacles are inertia, and Queens councilmembers representing a small minority… Keep reading…
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Five things not to do when building a convention center
1. Surround your building with an imposing stone facade that completely isolates it from the nearby street. Place no cafes or other businesses on the street, no places to sit, or anything to engage pedestrians. Keep reading…
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Ghost Town
I arrived in our nation’s capital yesterday. It took significantly longer to get from Dulles Airport to my hotel (2 1/4 hours) than to fly all the way from Boston (1 1/2 hours). I had to wait for the shtutle bus from the concourse to the main terminal to arrive, then longer for it to leave, then in line for the SuperShuttle, then 15 minutes for the SuperShuttle to leave… Keep reading…