Photo by nicholasjon.

Not your parents’ suburbs

A Brookings report based on census data shows that suburbs are increasingly older, less white and more poor as well as less dominated by families as young, white, affluent people increasingly choose cities and standard nuclear families become a smaller share of the population. (Huffington Post, Washington Post)  

VDOT is hot, Halsey is cold

VDOT is aggressively pushing a HOT lane extension from Dulles

Tysons to the GW Parkway. Ashley Halsey’s normally good reporting makes no mention of the land mines in the HOT lane contracts and quotes unabashed “build six Beltways” road booster Bob Chase without context. (Post, Joey)  (Tip: Joey)  

Fix Metro funding, and not by pulling it

Chris Zimmerman calls for long-term funding solutions for Metro including regular federal operating contributions and a dedicated regional tax. And the Post editorial board says Maryland’s recent attempt to defund Metro repair comes from Baltimore-centrism, noting that the state spends 30-100% more on Baltimore transit than Washington’s.  

Transportation Row?

DDOT is close to a deal to consolidate its operations at 55 M Street, SE. Right now, they’re spread across many scattered buildings, which interferes with interdepartmental coordination. They’d also be just blocks from the new USDOT headquarters. (WBJ via Housing Complex)  

Cost of killing Holden: $4.3 million

Security around the nuclear summit, where a National Guard truck driver hit and killed cyclist Constance Holden, cost DC $4.3 million in police overtime and other items. The White House will reimburse DC, but still no word on the crash. (Examiner)  

Paris “reconquering the Seine”

Paris plans to replace its waterfront expressway along the Seine with public gathering, walking, and bicycling space on the Left Bank, and scale down the Right Bank’s expressway to a boulevard. (Streetsblog)  

NYC and Boston like to share

New York’s MTA and Massachusetts’ MassDOT have quickly become leaders in working with software developers, releasing useful transit data and participating in a recent transit software “unconference.” We’re going to be asking Interim GM Richard Sarles about this at a blogger press event today. (WSJ, Streetsblog)  

Do cities need more density?

Ed Glaeser thinks Jane Jacobs was wrong about lower-height buildings being better, saying high rises allow more affordable housing. Really, we need a mix. (NYT) … Ryan Avent, who always responds intelligently to everything Ed Glaeser writes, has some follow-up thoughts.