Thursday’s Headlines Are Going Up the Country

Low-density sprawl of single family homes. Photo: Inhabitat
Low-density sprawl of single family homes. Photo: Inhabitat
  • Sprawling suburbs are booming nationwide as city rents rise and remote workers seek out more space. It seems that transit- and climate-friendly land use reforms in many cities aren’t enough to outweigh the lure of cheap land. (City Lab)
  • E-scooter and bike-share companies saw ridership and revenue slide during the pandemic, but the industry looks poised for big growth in 2022. (GreenBiz)
  • Hey hey, ho ho, one-way streets have got to go! (Treehugger)
  • Part of San Francisco’s slow streets initiative started during the pandemic, Lake Street could become one of the first corridors permanently closed to through traffic. (Examiner)
  • In contrast to equity concerns raised by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the Federal Transit Administration says it’s fine with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s plan for a two-year fare-free pilot project. (CommonWealth)
  • Missouri could leave billions in transit funding from the federal infrastructure act on the table because the state doesn’t spend enough on transit to match grants. (Missouri Times)
  • Drivers killed more than 1,300 people in Illinois last year, and in Urbana, pedestrians are at highest risk. (Illinois Newsroom)
  • As of the end of November, drivers had killed 88 pedestrians in Albuquerque last year, tying the all-time high set in 1995 with a month left to go. (Journal)
  • In contrast to the U.S., where traffic deaths have been skyrocketing, Ireland recorded its lowest number last year since record-keeping started in 1959: 133 in a nation of 5 million. (The Clare Herald)
  • Lowering speed limits significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions in Berlin. (The Mayor)
  • Studies in the European Union and Turkey show a strong correlation between cycling and quality of life. (The City Fix)
  • With 68 stations and 124 miles of new rail lines, the Grand Paris Express is Europe’s largest transit project and will drastically reduce travel times between the city and the suburbs (The Urbanist). Meanwhile, France is also forcing automakers to promote walking, biking and transit in their advertisements (Streetsblog USA)

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Photo: Stephen Braitsch via Streetsblog SF

How To Make a COVID-Era Pop-Up Park Permanent

By Kea Wilson |
San Francisco activists are fighting their city’s decision to allow high-speed vehicle traffic back onto a road that was transformed into a beloved public park during the pandemic — and the legal mechanism they’re using to do it could be a blueprint for advocates across the country fighting to keep their own COVID-era street improvements.