A neighborhood subdivision by r. nial bradhsaw licensed under Creative Commons.

How Middle America can go car-free (or car-lite). The 15-minute city is the target of conspiracy theorists. Rethinking one-hour delivery.

Going car-free in Middle America: In many car-dominated communites around the country, some residents have eschewed the automobile for a different lifestyle free of car payments and gas fillups. Angie Schmitt shares how they do it including choosing carefully where you live so you can walk and bike most places though safety is still a big concern. The e-bike has also been a game changer for mobility, allowing further travel with less effort with the potential to replace short car trips. (Angie Schmitt | Vox)

The 15-minute conspiracy theory: The 15-Minute City, a development and design idea first proposed by Carlos Moreno, has been caught up recently in the conspiracy theory spin cycle. British writer Jonn Elledge believes that if you mix worries about large global organizations with unfounded fears someone will take away your car and ban you from leaving your neighborhood, this is what you get. (Jonn Elledge | New Statesman)

Rethinking one-hour delivery: Hazel O’Neil suggests levying a same-day delivery tax to incentivize consumers to make more sustainable choices while directing this revenue to improve transit that could reduce emissions and congestion. If municipalities optimize their delivery systems through concious curb management, centralized neighborhood delivery nodes, and alternative last-mile mobility solutions, then the negative impact on our cities, labor, and climate can be mitigated. (Hazel O’Neil | Streetsblog USA)

Wales rethinks road expansion in climate change era: 35 of 50 road projects in Wales were halted after they were tested for climate impacts as part of a larger strategy to think long-term about the environment and mobility futures. Wales was also forced to rethink investments after funding from the UK government dwindled. It’s likely the cancellations will lead to more active transportation and longer-term thinking on climate change. (Steven Morris | The Guardian)

Despite opposition, Texas DOT pushes massive highway expansion: Amid a worsening housing supply shortage, the Texas Department of Transportation is pushing ahead with an $85 billion highway expansion project that would demolish hundreds of transit-accessible homes and numerous businesses, community centers, and churches. Local residents and activists alike mobilized against the state DOT’s plans, to little success. (Asia Mieleszko | Strong Towns)

Quote of the Week

“Water fountains have long embodied enduring tensions around public things and their politics and ecologies, around promises of purity and fears of contamination. Fountains can tell us much about a society’s attitudes towards health, hygiene, wealth, virtue, and taste, and about its understandings of municipal and epidemiological responsibilities.”

Shannon Mattern in Places Journal discussing water fountains and their place in society.

This week on the podcast, we’re joined by Dr. Dorina Pojani, associate professor of Urban Planning at the University of Queensland, to talk about her book, “Planning for Sustainable Transport in Southeast Asia: Policy Transfer, Diffusion, and Mobility.”