Monday’s Headlines Go Downtown

Even as vacancies for downtown office space remain high, so are demands for walkability. So developers are building new downtowns in the suburbs.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on April 8, 2024

Tempe is one of many cities that are adapting to the desire for walkable neighborhoods.

|Credit: Valley Metro

The suburbs are striving to become more like downtowns because young people crave walkability. (Governing)
Fast Company suggests that more people will want to bike as climate change worsens, and cities can hasten this development by spending more on bike infrastructure, enacting congestion pricing and getting rid of parking.
Cyclists should be advocating for congestion pricing because it's an equitable way to pay for roads and also funds sustainable transportation. (Momentum Mag)
The Federal Transit Administration released $20.5 billion in formula funding to city and state transit agencies. (Railway Age)
Los Angeles is the latest city to use AI cameras to enforce bus lane violations. (Smart Cities Dive)
Uber Eats is now using self-driving Waymos to deliver food in Phoenix. (Engadget)
Lyft lost its game of chicken with Minneapolis and, after threatening to leave after the city passed a minimum wage law for drivers, is now seeking a compromise. (Quartz)
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell is proposing an eight-year, $1.3 billion transportation tax extension for road repaving, bus and bike lanes, sidewalks and bridge repairs. (Crosscut)
The Atlanta Midtown Alliance released plans to add safety improvements and public spaces to Peachtree Street. (Urbanize Atlanta)
Providence city council members are unanimously opposed to Mayor Brett Smiley's plan to remove a two-way bike lane from South Water Street after public comment ran 300 to one in favor of keeping it. (Rhode Island Current)
A California man has invented a bike-lane sweeper that can be pulled by bike. (New Atlas)
Honolulu buses have a uniquely Hawaiian way of saying "thank you" to drivers who let them merge. (SFGate)