Introducing “Empty Spaces,” new research about parking at five TODs

The land near transit stations is a valuable commodity. Hundreds or thousands of people travel to and through these places each day, and decisions about what to do with this land have implications for local economies, transit ridership, residents’ access to opportunity, and overall quality of life for everyone in a community.

Many communities choose to dedicate at least some of that land for parking. The question is, how much? Standard engineering guidelines are designed for mostly isolated suburban land uses—not walkable, urban places served by transit. But few alternative guidelines for engineers exist.

Empty Spaces: Real parking needs at five TODs, released today, set out to determine how much less parking is required at transit-oriented developments (TODs) and how many fewer vehicle trips are generated than standard industry estimates.

LOCUS Transportation

Building great places in the Los Angeles area? Join our LOCUS LinkUP on March 26

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Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade isn’t the only walkable neighborhood in the Southern California anymore. Photo by LandAinLA.

Southern California is going through an urban transformation that’s making the region more walkable, one city block at a time—and we are bringing together the people making it happen.

Developers and investors working on walkable real estate projects are invited to join us on Thursday, March 26, 2015 for the LOCUS LinkUp: Building the Next Walkable Places in Southern California.

LOCUS

Join us for the fifth annual Complete Streets dinner — January 13, 2015 in Washington, DC

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How can you support safer streets, just by raising your fork? By joining us for the National Complete Streets Coalition’s fifth annual Complete Streets dinner!

Join us on Tuesday, January 13, 2015 in Washington, DC to celebrate partnerships, progress, and over 650 Complete Streets policies nationwide.

Complete Streets

Model Design Manual helps towns of all sizes create Living Streets

Earlier this year, over 60 experts – including Will Schroeer, Smart Growth America’s Director of Policy and Research, and Barbara McCann, Executive Director of the National Complete Streets Coalition – gathered in Los Angeles for a two-day collaborative charette. Funded by the Department of Health and Human Services through the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, outcomes from the charette were released today as the Model Design Manual for Living Streets.

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Car and Driver goes on the record for a comprehensive transportation strategy

You know it’s bad when Ashton Kutcher is Tweeting about road closures. Route 405 in Los Angeles is due to be closed for construction this weekend – an event predicted to be so paralyzing for L.A.’s traffic that it’s been dubbed “Carmageddon.”

While L.A. drivers prepare for catastrophe and stock up on canned goods, the 405 road closure illustrates one of the arguments presented in a recent article from Car and Driver magazine. “The State of the Union’s Roads: An Investigative Report” chronicles why so many of America’s roads are in poor condition – and what we should be doing about it.

“The interstates were designed to last 20 or 30 years,” the article explains, “but now some areas are pushing 50 years and handling far more traffic than their planners anticipated. But as we reach into our wallets, we run into our generation’s big dilemma: We’re nearly broke.” Highway revenues are down, repair costs are up and the federal government can’t afford the level of road investments it committed to in past years. While gas prices and time wasted in congestion are both soaring, more people are living in cities than ever before, which leads even Car and Driver to question the logic of doubling down on highways.

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Comment Roundup: Your Great Communities

A few weeks ago, we asked what you loved about your communities.  As promised, we’re highlighting some of the best or most engaging answers – though not chosen through any rigorous process.  There are plenty of really interesting comments about interesting places all over the country.  If you haven’t done so, check out all the … Continued

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