Posts tagged Chicago
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Baltimore once had an elevated streetcar along Guilford Avenue
While Baltimore's streetcar network never included tunnels, from 1893 to 1950 the city did have an eight-block elevated trestle for streetcars, including several stations along Guilford Avenue. Keep reading…
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National links: Is New York City losing its heart?
New York is becoming a haven for the wealthy and losing what once made it great, the author argues. Climate change is influencing homebuyers' decisions. The Boring Company's bid to build a transport line in Chicago seems really low for a project so large. Keep reading…
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National links: Want to feel more optimistic about the world? Look local.
Most Americans believe the country is heading in the wrong direction, but think their own communities are improving. Homelessness probably looks a different from how you think it does. Central Park in Manhattan is going permanently car-free. Keep reading…
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Public transit ridership is down in the Washington region (and in other US cities too)
Most major US cities have lost significant transit ridership since 2015, according to FTA data. The Washington region has faced its fair share of transit woes in recent years, but as the graphics below demonstrate, it is far from alone. Keep reading…
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Metrorail is no longer the second-busiest rapid transit system in the country
Transit ridership has been falling nationwide, but Washington's metro ridership has fallen significantly even compared to other systems. For a long time, Metrorail had long had the second-highest ridership of any of the country’s 13 heavy rail rapid-transit systems. Keep reading…
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DC has more historic buildings than Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia combined. Why?
As of 2016, DC had designated 26,749 properties as historic landmarks or historic districts. That’s 19.4 percent of all properties in the District — a proportion many times higher than in cities that are larger and/or older than Washington. Keep reading…
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What the US gets wrong about urban parks, summed up in two pictures
A look-but-don't-touch mentality mars many US parks, reducing people's ability to enjoy public spaces. Here are two pictures that show how loosening the rules would make our cities better and more beautiful. Keep reading…
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Settlement money from Volkswagen could help electrify DC’s Circulator fleet
DC is about to get a big settlement from Volkswagen, and the money has to go toward electric vehicles. Meanwhile, there are plans to eventually make all of the Circulator buses electric. One great option for putting the windfall to use: spend it on electrifying the buses more quickly. Keep reading…
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Metro’s union is right: Bus to rail transfer fares are unfair
ATU Local 689, the union representing most WMATA employees, recently released a detailed proposal for improving Metro. Its suggestion of a flat fare got most of the press attention, but it has 13 other proposals, many excellent. One I agree with completely: making transfers free between bus and rail. Keep reading…
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Sprawling metro areas are growing faster than anywhere else in the US
Across the US, people flocked to urban cores in the early 2010s. But lately, growth has picked up in outer, less dense suburban places, particularly in the nation’s most sprawling metro areas in the South and Southwest. Keep reading…