Photo by thienzieyung on Flickr.

The mind is the root of bike hate

Jim Saksa is the reason some drivers hate all cyclists. No, really, it’s a psychological phenomenon known as the “affect heuristic.” It’s also the root of many racial, religious, geographic and other stereotypes. (Slate)  

Memorial gets too much life

Algal blooms have overrun the recently-reopened Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool. The algae grows easily in the shallow Tidal Basin, the new source of the reflecting pool’s water. (Post)  

Goodbye, Greyhound terminal

DC’s NoMa Greyhound bus terminal has closed, as the company moves its operations to Union Station. The terminal’s owners will turn it into a mixed-use development. (Post)  

PG wants more TOD

Prince George’s is considering a pair of bills to streamline the approval process for mixed-use development near Metro or MTA stations, but allowing developers to avoid some site plan approvals and transportation studies. (Examiner)  

Inaugurate freedom for DC

Mayor Gray says city leaders will use January’s presidential inauguration to publicize DC’s limited autonomy. One plan would use the Wilson Building to spread the message during the Pennsylvania Ave. procession. (WAMU)  

Trees aren’t whole story

Urban tree cover doesn’t correlate with wealth precisely. In many cities, suburban neighborhoods are richer than urban ones, but in DC, often denser neighborhoods with fewer trees are more expensive. (Housing Complex)  

Railgate to the Metrodome

Are football stadiums incompatible with urbanism? Not in Minneapolis, where Vikings fans who take the light rail or bike “railgate” before games. Food trucks assemble by the station to feed the fans. (StarTribune)  

Paris wants genuine residents

Parisians blame foreign buyers who use their apartments as short-term rentals for the housing shortage in Paris. France has passed a new tax on vacant apartments in an effort to improve the market. (Atlantic Cities)  

And…

Several locals are building bike frames out of bamboo.  (DCist) … The DC government is shifting to 100% green energy. (DCist) … A new search engine lets you search for similar landscapes. (Atlantic Cities)