Traffic on I-95 North in Richmond, VA. By Virginia Department of Transportation.

Should car ads go the way of tobacco ads? Quantifying the cost of highway construction in Atlanta and DC. Researchers at Georgia Tech are taking a new approach to traffic safety.

Truth in car advertising is needed: Street parking in Japan has been illegal since 1957. A driver in Japan has to have proof of a private parking space, leading to more investments in transit and safer streets. But in North America, with much more space, vehicles have grown over time partly due to how advertising shapes consumer tastes. By 2020, 79% of ads in periodicals in Canada featured an SUV or light truck. Étienne Tremblay suggests that perhaps it’s time to make car companies advertise what this really means for our health and safety. (Étienne Tremblay | Policy Options Politiques)

New study examines the monetary cost of highways in DC, Atlanta: “Divided by Design,” a study released by Smart Growth America, adds up the economic damages caused by highway construction in Washington, DC, and Atlanta, Georgia. In DC, I-395 and I-695 displaced 4,700 residents and eliminated at least $1.4 billion in home value, based on the current market. In Atlanta, I-22 displaced 7,500 people and resulted in a loss of $676 million in home equity. (María Paula Mijares Torres | Bloomberg)

A “Safe Systems” pyramid: Researchers at Georgia Tech have developed a new framework for thinking about traffic safety. The current methods of engineering, enforcement, and education aren’t working to reduce traffic deaths, so a Vision Zero and “Safe Systems” approach are seen as ways to bring public health thinking and safety to transportation. To show how it could work, they apply a “Safe Systems Pyramid” approach to a hypothetical Vision Zero program. (Kari Watkins et al. | Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives)

Why the Lahaina fire is so shocking: Lahaina, the former capital city of the Hawaiian Kingdom, was recently devastated by a wildfire. Contrary to recent fires in other parts of the world, the Lahaina doesn’t sit near a wildland-urban interface, or the transition zone between human settlement and unoccupied land. The fire in Lahaina was exacerbated by drought, dry, invasive grasses that provided fuel, and winds produced by a nearby cyclone. To reduce the risk of similar disasters occurring in the future, Hawaii could attempt to resurrect native forests, maintain firebreaks, and subsidize agricultural land to keep the grass out. (Henry Grabar | Slate)

Why people won’t stop moving to the Sun Belt: Even as record-breaking heat occurs more frequently, the Sun Belt’s allure continues as people keep moving to its cities. The 50 counties with the highest heat risk grew 5%, while those with the lowest lost population. A relatively inexpensive supply of housing, lots of jobs, and warm winters pull people in even with higher risks in the summer. Some suggest that climate change will reverse that trend, but until there are more jobs and cheaper housing in those places, the trend will likely continue. (This article is behind a paywall). (Olga Khazan | The Atlantic)

Majority-Black towns pay more to borrow money: Many municipalities issue bonds to help pay for city services, allowing them to fund necessary construction projects they otherwise wouldn’t be able to. The disproportionate impact of climate change on Black communities is not considered in bond ratings, according to new research. While white suburbs tend to enjoy high bond ratings, Black towns, which endure the legacy of slavery and decades of disinvestment, are often penalized. This leads to higher borrowing costs and the perpetuation of systemic racism. (This story was added by the editor). (Grist)

Quote of the Day

“What often happens is that a [street] project gets to implementation, the NIMBYs jump up, and the bike aspect is the first thing to get cut. We want to make sure we’re shining the spotlight on these projects at those critical moments so that they get across the finish line.”

Jenn Dice, CEO of People for Bikes in Streetsblog USA discusses a new advocacy portal for bike improvements.

This week on the podcast, we’re joined once more by Susan Crawford, author and Harvard Law Professor to talk about her new book, Charleston: Race, Water, and the Coming Storm. Susan chats with us about sea level rise, city solutions, and opportunities to rethink our responses.