Weekend links: Let the games begin

LinksBy Steven Yates (Contributor) July 28, 2012

Photo by Dave Catchpole on Flickr.

The mixed bag of the Olympics

Hosting the Olympics can be costly for cities, like it was for Montreal, but it can also be a catalyst for positive changes, like it was for Vancouver. (Atlantic Cities)

What’s up with Uber

Uber’s CEO thinks the taxi industry is too involved in DC’s government, but they are still growing at a rapid pace. It does appear, though, that Uber misled people a bit during the earlier taxi bill fight. (Post)

Parking worries in AdMo

As more restrictive parking rules go into effect reserving more space for residents, some retailers in Adams Morgan are worried it will hurt their business, despite the presence of new parking garages. (WJLA)

Silver Line could get cheaper money

The TIFIA loan program, expanded in the latest transportation bill, could help cut the cost for the Silver Line, and reduce the burden on Toll Road commuters. It’s complicated, though. (Bacon’s Rebellion)

We need infrastructure

Even the highway building association agrees we need more than just roads for the future, and notes that even George Washington wanted the federal government to fund infrastructure. (Streetsblog)

See the data

Thanks to open data, developers are now developing several visualizations around New York subway entrances. Since WMATA scans both when entering and exiting stations, even more data could be available there. (Atlantic Cities)

Think your commute is bad?

The average wait for a bus in New Delhi is 70 minutes and as more people buy cars, the buses get slower, causing even more people to buy cars. (Atlantic Cities)

When chains arrive

Chains tend to enter neighborhoods after they have been established, but there are some exceptions, like Whole Foods which cares more about the demographic mix of an area. (RPUS)

And…

Rockville and Gathersburg have a border fight. (Examiner) … More residential units are coming to the Riverfront. (Urban Turf) … Traffic is best Friday mornings, worst Friday afternoons. (Patch) … DC looks to sell the Lincoln Theatre. (City Paper)