Breakfast links: Trick or treat

Walkable = trick-or-treatable

Halloween reminds us (or at least urban planners) some qualities of great walkable neighborhoods. Houses’ doors have paths directly to the street, and larger buildings have actual residential units fronting on the sidewalk for kids to ring bells. (Atlantic Cities)

Start up in Anacostia

A new technology incubator is opening in Anacostia. Will startups go to Anacostia in search of cheap office space? Can this bring economic growth to the struggling neighborhood? (City Paper)

Shut the door

Following a 2008 New York law, DC may soon restrict some businesses from keeping their doors open with the AC on in an effort to promote energy conservation. (WBJ)

Belward cleared for building

A Montgomery County judge ruled that Johns Hopkins’ agreement with the donor of Belward Farm near Gaithersburg doesn’t preclude building a large office park development on the property. Descendants of the donor said she gave the property with a promise it would remain mostly undeveloped. (Gazette)

Charters lead to integration

Cities with charter schools, like DC, may be retaining more middle class families with school age kids, resulting in more economically and racially diverse communities. (USA Today, Ward 1 Guy)  (Tip: Ward 1 Guy)

Roads get emergency money faster

Under the latest transportation bill (MAP-21), it’ll take much longer to get emergency aid to cities for transit systems than it will to give emergency road funding. (Streetsblog)

Not a safe route to school

A driver struck and killed a 10th grader crossing an 8-lane highway on the way to school in Germantown. The road design in the area makes it treacherous to get to the school. (Patch)

Metro opens data; how can you use it?

WMATA released a big file of data on ridership from each Metro station to every other by time of day and day of week. What useful tools or visualizations can you create? Email us and we’ll post them!

And…

Amtrak looks to restore some service to New York by tomorrow. (WBJ) … The DC Council may temporarily change DC’s flag to highlight the District’s lack of voting rights. (WAMU) … Can libraries replace bookstores as third places? (BeyondDC)