People waiting for a bus in Rosslyn by Jeff Vincent licensed under Creative Commons.

Report finds widespread transportation insecurity in the United States. A Houston community faces displacement due to mandatory flood buyouts. Car-centered main streets deemed too dangerous for retail in Nashville.

Measuring national transportation insecurity: Previously unmeasured, researchers have found that one in four people in the United States have experienced transportation insecurity, meaning they don’t have the means to move about freely in order to access jobs, health care, or other important destinations. More than half of people with incomes below the federal poverty line experience transportation insecurity and it’s specifically prevalent among Black and Hispanic communities. (Alix Gould-Werth | Washington Center for Equitable Growth)

Forced flood buyouts and breaking up neighborhoods: In Houston, the Allen Field neighborhood has flooded 12 times in the last 40 years, and residents are now subject to mandatory buyouts to keep it from happening again. On top of concerns about the displacement of the close-knit community, residents find the buyout process to be complicated and full of surprises including extra closing costs and red tape. (Amal Ahmed | Grist)

Nashville’s main streets too dangerous for retail: In Nashville developers have decided to build retail frontage on the interior part of a block for a major redevelopment project instead of Gallatin Road, an arterial street. Because of pedestrian safety issues along with noise, pollution, and a lack of transit connection, developers felt that dense commercial space located on the corridor wouldn’t be viable in a campus-type setting with pedestrianized streets. (Connor Daryani | Nashville Scene)

Fayetteville’s preapproved pattern books: The Fayetteville, Arkansas City Council is considering approving a contract with architects to create a pattern book of pre-designed homes that would allow development proposals to be fast-tracked through the city’s residential permit process. The designs aren’t required but will be pre-vetted by neighbors and reduce development costs for both the homeowner and construction companies. (Stacy Ryburn | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

OPINION: Jaywalking laws should be abolished: As our cities and public spaces grow, it’s time to rethink outdated bike and pedestrian laws including jaywalking argues Kyle Rowe on Traffic Technology Today. Laws criminalizing jaywalking are not only ineffective for improving safety, but they promote disproportionate policing towards people of color. When cities reevaluate their approach to street safety, they should focus on infrastructure that promotes safe riding, walking, and rolling and not the criminalization of pedestrians. (Kyle Rowe | Traffic Technology Today)

Quote of the Week

“Most colleagues thought as Americans, probing into a project right in front of the Kremlin and the Red Square, we didn’t have a chance. A lot of Russians thought the same. We had ethical considerations too. But ultimately, we felt it was a project intended for the residents and the city, not for the government. Regimes come and go, while architecture remains for hundreds and sometimes thousands of years. If we have the opportunity to do something significant for the city, why not try?”

Elizabeth Diller in Haaretz on winning a competition to design the 35-acre Zaryadye Park in Moscow

This week on the podcast, we celebrate 400 episodes with a thirteen-clip show from some of our guests from the first 399.