Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Today's Headlines

Thursday’s Headlines Are Trying to Walk Here

Forget 15-minute cites; some American communities aren't even 45-minute cities, a new comparison of walkable places from around the world finds. Learn more in headlines.

Atlanta: not walkable.

|AtlantaCitizen
  • Europe has the most walkable cities in the world, and North America is at the bottom, according to a new study. For example, in Zurich 99 percent of residents live within a 15-minute walk to essential services like schools and medical offices, whereas in San Antonio that figure is 2.5 percent. (The Guardian)
  • Let's be honest: Prioritizing pedestrian safety means slowing down cars. You can't have it both ways. (Planetizen)
  • Corporate consolidation is driving up the cost of infrastructure projects in the U.S. because it means fewer bidders. So does smaller DOTs, because they rely more heavily on consultants and contractors. (The Boondoggle)
  • Bike parking is cheap and easy to install, but in many places there's not enough of it, usually because building codes don't require enough. (Velo)
  • Car loans are now the second-largest form of debt for Americans behind mortages, surpassing student loans. (Jalopnik)
  • On the 50th anniversary of its publication, Slate argues that Robert Caro leans too heavily on the great-man theory of history in "The Power Broker," his biography of New York City transportation czar Robert Moses.
  • Twelve states — Idaho, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, South Carolina, South Dakota, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming — have yet to even accept bids to build fast electric vehicle chargers using federal funds. (Route Fifty)
  • The Chicago Reader explains a proposal to merge the city's three transit agencies and raise funding by $1.5 billion.
  • Labor advocates are suing Los Angeles over a $730 million contract to buy new subway cars, which could sidetrack plans to expand transit for the 2028 Olympics. (L.A. Times)
  • Opponents of widening I-275 in Tampa are gearing up for another fight after Hillsborough County moved the project up its priority list. (Tampa Bay Times)
  • The Nashville mayor's office released an interactive map of hundreds of sidewalks, bike lanes and bus routes that would be funded by a $3.1 billion transportation referendum. (Axios)
  • The Seattle suburb of Renton is looking to transform acres of parking lots and big-box stores into walkable neighborhoods around a planned bus rapid transit station. (The Urbanist)
  • Starting next week, the Kansas City streetcar will shut down for a month due to construction work on an extension. (Star)
  • A community group called Bike Denver mapped out 500 miles of low-stress bike routes in the Mile High City. (North Star)

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Is Sec. Duffy Holding NY Transit Hostage To Negotiate Away The Rest of America’s Transportation Future?

The federal Transportation secretary is using two large transit projects as a bargaining chip to bully Congress into passing a budget that could be disastrous for communities across the country.

October 3, 2025

Friday’s Headlines Shut It Down

The government shutdown looks like it will be just another excuse for the Trump administration to cancel transportation projects unless blue states bend the knee.

October 3, 2025

Can Pedestrian Pop-Ups Go Permanent in the U.S.?

Can temporary pedestrian pop-ups spur permanent change?

October 3, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: Healthy Architecture, Healthy People

It is very unusual for an architecture project to pay any attention at all outside of the property line. And that has to change.

October 2, 2025

Report: A Third of Americans Can’t Rely On Cars — And 16 Million Have No Access At All

So why do we plan our cities like everyone can and does get behind the wheel every day?

October 2, 2025
See all posts