Friday’s Headlines Want More Parks and Less Parking
The average U.S. city is about one-third parking, which contributes to heat islands that exacerbate the effects of climate change.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on July 28, 2023
- Parking has devastated once-vibrant downtowns, with 30 percent of U.S. cities devoted to storing cars. (The Conversation)
- Forty million Americans live in urban heat islands, where materials like asphalt absorb and retain heat. (NBC News)
- A U.S. House committee is holding hearings on regulating autonomous vehicles. (Smart Cities Dive)
- A new Transit Center report outlines how transit agencies that are struggling with staffing can attract and retain employees. Streetsblog has the summary.
- Audi’s new taillights will warn cyclists when they’re about to get doored. (Autocar)
- Lyft is looking to sell off its bike-share operations in New York, Chicago, Denver, San Francisco and four other cities. (Bicycle Retailer)
- Sixty years after urban renewal, South Carolina is still building highways through Black communities. (The Guardian)
- Alabama is likely to go $1 billion into debt to build a new rural highway that even some advocates for widening existing freeways don’t think is necessary. (1819 News)
- The Federal Transit Administration is not going to fund Research Triangle commuter rail. (Axios)
- Philadelphia’s transit agency is considering building a $50 million parking garage on land near a station that could be used for mixed-use development instead. (Billy Penn)
- Tampa may kick bikes off the popular Riverwalk trail — and blaming “rogue cyclists” for riding irresponsibly. (Tampa Bay Times)
- Kalamazoo debuted a new type of street configuration with a single car lane and two bike lanes that drivers can also use to pass (MLive). Will drivers figure it out? Jalopnik is skeptical.
- Sleeper trains are making a comeback in Europe. (CNBC)
Blake Aued has been doing Streetsblog's daily national news digest for years. He's also an Atlanta Braves fan, which enrages his editor in New York.
Read More:
Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.
More from Streetsblog USA
New E-Mobility Study Actually Reveals Need For Safer Streets, Not E-Bike Crackdowns
A new look into emergency room data at one Manhattan hospital shows a need for more infrastructure, despite what you might have read elsewhere.
April 24, 2026
Friday’s Headlines Thrive With Women in Charge
Mayors like Barcelona's Ada Colau, Montreal's Valerie Plante and Anne Hidalgo in Paris transformed their cities.
April 24, 2026
Talking Headways Podcast: The Urban Truth Collective
Tom Flood, Grant Ennis and Brent Toderian of the Urban Truth Collective discuss pushing back on falsehoods and conspiracies through positive messaging around cities.
April 23, 2026
Thursday’s Headlines Shout, Shout, Let It All Out
A public input process that engages all stakeholders early on but doesn't drag out is the key to holding down costs for transit projects, according to the Urban Institute.
April 23, 2026
Judge Blocks Trump Admin’s Attempt to Demolish D.C. Bike Lane
But advocates across America aren't letting their guard down about the future of sustainable infrastructure in their own communities.
April 23, 2026
