Weekend links: Breakdown boogie

Music of malfunction

Escalators break and wear down, but the sounds they make can be beautiful in their own way. As one podcast puts it, it can be the music that defines the place. (99% Invisible)

Should Amazon be taxed?

Virginia businesses want Amazon.com to pay sales tax, saying every retailer should play by the same rules. Virginia spent $4 million to lure two Amazon distribution centers to the state. (Post)

Pop-ups invade vacant lots

Developers are using their vacant lots for more than parking, renting them to markets and farms. The commercial uses can breathe life into overlooked areas. (NY Times)

Hispanics disproportionately killed on roads

Almost half of Montgomery County’s pedestrian deaths have been Hispanic, despite the fact that only 17% of the county’s population is Hispanic. Four of the five deaths occurred on Viers Mill Road. (WAMU)

Streetcar purchase drama continues

Inekon, DDOT’s original streetcar manufacturer, has filed suit to appeal the agency’s recent purchase of two streetcars from Oregon’s United Streetcar. (DCist)

Reimagining the alley

Long Beach, CA, wants its alleys to be more than garbage access points and become community-centric with landscaping, art, and signage in emulation of San Francisco and Pasadena. Might DC do the same? (Long Beach Post)

India plans to sprawl

India’s urban growth will predominately be in secondary cities rather than “primate” cities, decentralizing the massive population shift expected in the country away from traditional urban cores. (Times Of India)