Buffalo, N.Y. by Mitch Altman licensed under Creative Commons.

Buffalo, New York ended parking minimums for developers, and we’re starting to see the results. Forget the double-diamond; meet the “peanutabout.” A Seattle plan could keep most cars out of downtown.

What developers do when parking requirements are gone: In 2017, Buffalo ended parking requirements in the city, but while mixed-use developers embraced the new rules completely, single-use developers ended up building more parking. According to research soon to be released in the Journal of the American Planning Association, the plan actually worked as intended to give developers choices, which might allow smaller cities to see the results and follow suit. (Eric Jaffe | Sidewalk Talk)

Drop the double-diamond: Natick, Mass. is replacing a freeway interchange and is starting to consider different designs including the “diverging diamond” or “double-diamond,” which is safer than a traditional interchange but has many drawbacks to pedestrians and the environment. Jeff Speck argues that another design he calls a “peanutabout,” which won’t subject pedestrians to massive amounts of particulate matter and will keep more mature trees intact, could be a better alternative. (Jeff Speck | CNU Public Square)

Seattle releases green transportation plan: A new plan released by the Seattle Department of Transportation would restrict most cars from a large portion of downtown while requiring ride hailing and delivery vehicles to be emissions free. The plan doesn’t list any cost estimates associated with any of the provisions but it will rely heavily on partnerships with different levels of government. (Michelle Baruchman | Seattle Times)

The shape of outdoor dining: New York has seen an amazing transformation as outdoor dining has taken over the city due to pandemic protocols, with structures from huts to sheds to tents. But as some of these makeshift buildings are starting to disappear, it might be a good time to celebrate these creative innovations that came along at a time of fear and sadness. (Adam Gopnick | The New Yorker)

Lisbon launches a data sensor network: Lisbon, Portugal has launched a sensor network at 80 points in the city that will feed the city’s open data platform in real time. The network will measure noise, pollution, traffic and more, and is seen as a way to measure different parts of the city equally. (Sarah Wray | Cities Today)

Quote of the Week

“Unfortunately, not a significant number of new users have been attracted to public transport despite the fact that over the recent years, the state has allocated more and more funds to cover the costs of county bus transport and has allowed people to travel by bus free of charge in most counties.”

Auditor General Janar Holm discussing an audit of Estonia’s free transit program in Eltis.

This week on the podcast, we’re joined by Karel Martens to talk about the philosophical justifications for sufficient access in transportation.