National links: How to make public spaces where everyone is welcome

The challenges of urban beautification. Dangerous by Design report released. USDOT floats emissions rules.

The dark side of urban beautification: Researcher Jose Antonio Lara-Hernandez argues that beautification campaigns that refresh public spaces can create situations where they become more exclusionary. In order to be more open and welcoming, spaces must take resident’s wants and needs into account. When people feel more represented, they are more likely to use the spaces. (Jose Antonio Lara-Hernandez | Fast Company)

Dangerous by Design report released: Smart Growth America has released it’s Dangerous by Design report for 2022 which takes a look at each state’s road fatalities and repeats what we have known forever, throughput and speed for cars are not safe for pedestrians and cyclists. (Smart Growth America)

Administration floats emissions rules: The US Department of Transportation has announced a proposed rule that would require State DOTs and MPOs to measure emissions from transportation. They must have targets that decline from 2021 and reach zero by 2050, a goal of the current administration. Progress reports would be expected every two years and Republican Senators such as Shelley Moore Capito are not happy about it. (Dan Zukowski | Smart Cities Dive)

Texas GOP platform strikes road diets: The 2022 Texas GOP platform includes a section that explicitly opposes ‘road diets’ and active transportation measures. The plank was written by pro-car advocates from the group TURF who have been frustrated by an inability to drive as fast in cities from their homes in the suburbs as they once did. (Andrea Drusch | San Antonio Report)

Housing shortages causing homelessness: After attending meetings with political and civic leaders in Seattle, researcher Gregg Coburn felt that no one was really grasping the true reasons for homelessness, throwing ideas scattershot into the wind. But what he found writing a book on the subject with a colleague is that expensive housing is the biggest problem, not mental health issues or drug use. (Gary Warth | San Diego Union Tribune)

Quote of the Week

“I see that the Food Lion is being rezoned; I see that my favorite restaurants, all the stores that I go to are being rezoned, and we don’t have a design yet. I just need more guarantees for myself and my neighbors that we’re gonna be protected, because so many of us live in naturally occurring affordable housing. I don’t think that an additional two stories for 60 percent AMI for just 30 years is enough. I think we need more.”

Haley Kinsler, a public speaker at a Raleigh public meeting, discussing worries about TOD rezoning on a BRT corridor in Indy Week.

This week on the podcast, Catie Gould of the Sightline Institute talks about Oregon’s plans for reducing parking regulations in cities.