In case you’re interested, we received this survey from a doctoral student studying the links between the built environment of the city and the health of its residents. The survey is more specifically about transportation preferences and why people use the ones that they do: This survey should take about 15 minutes. The goals of … Continued
The New York Times gave some love this weekend to Portland, Oregon. First, a story about the growth of the city focuses on how maintaining a small-town big city designed for people, connected to the environment, and with options for transportation, has resulted in a population boom in younger people, as well as older people … Continued
Even for people who meet their daily needs by walking, biking or taking transit, sometimes you just need a car. A few years ago, if you didn’t own a car but needed one to use for an hour or a day, your options might have consisted of borrowing a friend’s wheels, or spending 20 minutes … Continued
Devastation was wrought across California over the last two weeks as a spate of wildfires, powered by the mighty Santa Ana winds, roared across the landscape, while firefighters struggled for days to gain control and citizens scattered in the face of danger. While most people probably didn’t give much of a thought to the “why”, … Continued
This headline on CNN today (Here comes $100 oil, and $3 gas) caught my attention in relation to a story in our newsletter yesterday. Crude oil futures did actually hit $90 yesterday, after hovering in the $80 range, edging upwards towards $90. Which basically means that more traders are betting that the actual price of … Continued
When Measure 37 passed the ballot in Oregon a few years ago, it opened up a windfall for developers and uncertainty for neighbors as Oregon’s land use system was dismantled in favor of a free-for-all. Understandably, many who voted for the measure and thought they were simply making it possible to build a home for … Continued
Three-fourths of Americans believe that being smarter about development and improving public transportation are better long-term solutions for reducing traffic congestion than building new roads, according to a survey released today by the National Association of Realtors® and Smart Growth America. The 2007 Growth and Transportation Survey details what Americans think about how development affects … Continued
Joel Kotkin teamed up with Ali Modarres last Sunday to pen a piece for the Washington Post entitled “Hot World? Blame Cities, ” in which they ignore most of the scientific evidence about lower per capita carbon emissions of city residents, placing the blame for global warming largely on the shoulders of city-dwellers, and proposing … Continued
As you may remember, Measure 37 in Oregon was billed as a way to help property owners get around regulations that kept them from building that extra house or two on their rural land. The past year has demonstrated to the voters the need to beware the law of unintended consequences as thousands of claims … Continued
Last week, nearly 650 people gathered in Pittsburgh, PA for Reclaiming Vacant Properties, the first ever national conference on the topic. The conference was the culmination of years of dreaming and working by the National Vacant Properties Campaign. Over 500 people were registered before the event, but the large number of walk-up registrants Monday morning … Continued