By Joshua Allen Harris.

Subway air-powered art

A clever type of public space art builds giant monsters animals out of plastic bags and places them over New York subway grates. When trains go by and blow air out the grates, the monsters rise and move around. (YouTube, Michael)  

How’s your track doing?

Metro is now listing their progress on repairing track circuits online so that riders can check in on their commutes.  (WMATA, Matt’)  (Tip: Matt')  

Country lane or hazard to children? Both?

The sidewalk debate has now reached the Palisades, with some residents opposing installation of a sidewalk on University Terrace, which some call a “country lane,” and others asking for the increased safety for pedestrians. (Palisades listserv, ah)  (Tip: ah)  

No room for books between the parking lots

A story about the Library of Congress’s storage facility at Ft. Meade says, “With every Capitol Hill street filled with federal offices, nongovernment organizations and homes, there just was no more room there for any more books, maps or sheets of music. So, in 1994, Congress found some more space in a 100-acre former motor pool at Fort Meade.”  They seem not to notice what Capitol Hill is actually full of. (The Capital, Steve)  (Tip: Steve)  

Shaw rejoices

Shiloh Baptist Church in Shaw will try to sell two of its long-vacant buildings to pay for renovations to the other two. The buildings have gone vacant for decades, drawing trash, rodents, and crime, and are a common sore point with the community. Most recently, neighbors protested decisions by the DC government not to charge the high vacant property tax rate. This decision will exempt the church from that rate, and residents hope it’s not just another delaying tactic. (DCist)  

Gaithersburg fairly progressive after all

The Gaithersburg City Council isn’t quite as auto-centric as BeyondDC first thought based on the Gazette article; Cathy Drzyzgula and others do get Smart Growth. However, the Mayor, Council VP, and Planning Commissioner keep assuming driving is the only natural way, and Gaithersburg still maintains unnecessarily high parking minimums. (BeyondDC)  

Roundabouts for Maryland, too?

Dave Murphy suggests roundabouts as a better way to handle intersections in Maryland’s more rural back roads, where two-lane roads “mushroom” to seven at intersections. (Imagine, DC)  (Tip: Dave Murphy)  

Best cities for singles are walkable

Another day, another Forbes city ranking article. But it’s worth pointing out that the “best cities for singles” — NYC, Boston, Chicago, Seattle, and DC — are also in the top 7 on Walk Score’s walkability index, while the worst city, Jacksonville, is the worst on Walk Score. Walkable cities and towns are good for families, too, but rankers like Forbes always assume families only want exurbs. (A.M.)  (Tip: A.M)