Image by Ted Eytan licensed under Creative Commons.

A debate over streets as shared spaces. Awesome maps show the lack of access to parks in Milan. This bike lane design may create unsafe conditions for cyclists.

A city’s sense of freedom resides in its streets: Recent marches against police brutality have created a debate over who gets to claim streets. While streets in their most basic form are public spaces, Trump and his allies view them as places to dominate rather than share which has caused a law and order approach that guards real estate and endangers people. (Justin Davidson | Intelligencer)

Creating more space for people after a health crisis: Transport planning and mobility engineering firm Systematica is using awesome maps and graphs to show the lack of access to open-air gathering spaces in Milan. The firm proposes several ways to adapt the urban environment for how social behavior will change after the COVID-19 pandemic. (Lynne Myers | Design Boom)

Do bike lanes make cyclists safer?: New research finds that bike lanes designed with icons called “sharrows” may create unsafe conditions for cyclists— especially at intersections. Researchers suggest that one way to fix this issue is to repaint the icons on streets so that motorists can actually see them. (John Anderson with Anna Bernbaum | Fast Company)

Trump signs a potentially problematic environmental order: The president recently signed an executive order to speed up the development of infrastructure projects around the country by reducing the need to file environmental reviews. But opponents are worried about existing environmental damage and public health. And lawyers and potential beneficiaries warn that the order might not even be enforceable. (Justine Calma | The Verge)

Germany will require EV chargers at all gas stations: As part of a national pandemic stimulus package, Germany will require all gas stations to offer charging stations for electric vehicles in order to boost consumer demand for EVs and address refueling concerns. This decision will make Germany a global leader in EVs. (Christoph Steitz | Reuters)

Quote of the Week

“In our communities, people are suffering from asthma and upper respiratory disease, and we’ve been fighting for the right to breathe for generations. It’s ironic that those are the signs you’re seeing in these protests — ‘I can’t breathe.’ When the police are using chokeholds, literally people who suffer from a history of asthma and respiratory disease, their breath is taken away.”

Elizabeth Yeampierre in Yale E360 discussing the intersection between race, climate change, and environmental justice.

This week on the podcast, we’re joined by April Bertelson of the City of Portland to talk about the Rose Lane Project.