Posts tagged Cars
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What’s the point of supermarket gas rewards if you don’t drive?
Supermarket chains like Giant and Safeway are expanding into urban areas, where many shoppers don’t come by car. But their “rewards points” loyalty programs are only good for discounts on gasoline, benefitting those who drive frequently and have the biggest gas tanks. Keep reading…
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I said goodbye to my car a year ago. I don’t miss it.
I liked having the car, but it was far from a necessity. Here’s how I’ve gotten around without the car in the year since I watched it get taken away by a tow truck. Keep reading…
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Alexandria wants to make Seminary Road safer for all travelers. Some residents aren’t happy.
Seminary Road, an important artery in the City of Alexandria, is often congested and is especially dangerous for people bicycling and walking. The city has a plan to fix a 0.9-mile section east of I-395, but some residents are vehemently opposed to it. Keep reading…
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National links: The availability of shade is an important measure of equity
The availability of shade—think trees and bus shelters—isn't equitably distributed in cities like Los Angeles. Mexico's Bus Rapid Transit is a success story. Atlanta, long known for being car-centric, may install a Dutch-style “woonerf” to create the “Time Square of the South.” Keep reading…
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Inter/National links: Thriving car-free neighborhoods and pothole-filling gangs
This German neighborhood, part of a 15-year sustainable planning experiment, is a car-free success. A Roman gang fills the cities potholes and conducts other needed repairs. This Barcelona planner wants to make it the first post-car city. Keep reading…
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What we can learn from the history of DC’s circles and squares
From the 1870s up to the present day, competing interests—erecting monuments and memorials, preserving space for civic recreation, and catering to vehicular traffic—have led to drastic changes in our shared public spaces. Keep reading…
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Adjusting the price of parking based on demand has many benefits, a Chinatown study shows
As on-street parking becomes more coveted, cities are looking for ways to better manage those spaces. In January 2019, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) published a final report from its year-long Penn Quarter/Chinatown Parking Pricing Pilot program. Keep reading…
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This locally-made app helps you report dangerous drivers
Life as a pedestrian, cyclist, or scootist in the Washington region can be a harrowing experience. Vehicles blocking crosswalks or standing in bike lanes are commonplace occurrences that put everyone at risk—especially those of us not protected by two tons of steel. Keep reading…
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National links: Building “missing middle” housing won’t solve the shortage alone
Replacing single-family homes with duplexes and fourplexes is an important step, but we also need more apartments. Why is vehicle ownership growing in the country's most transit-oriented cities? The rise of “smart cities” has also sparked deep concerns about surveillance and lack of privacy. Keep reading…
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National links: Can we design cities to make people less lonely?
Loneliness is reaching epidemic levels, but these interventions could help cities foster connection. Minneapolis is set to pass a plan that would upzone the entire city and do away with single-family zoning. The FRA is finally allowing lighter passenger railcars made in Asian and European countries on US rails. Keep reading…