Equity
Basics
Talking Headways Podcast: Escobar’s Escalator
Did you go to the World Urban Forum in Medellín, Colombia, last week? Neither did your hosts Jeff Wood and I, but we sure found a lot to say about it anyway on this week's Talking Headways podcast. Medellín's remarkable urban transformation -- undertaken in the midst of war -- has gotten a lot of well-deserved attention lately for making the city's transportation infrastructure more equitable.
April 17, 2014
Talking Headways Podcast: Let Them Drive Cars
Quick quiz: What city is the world leader in highway teardowns? San Francisco? Portland? Madrid?
April 9, 2014
The Problem With Prescribing “Access to Cars” in the Fight Against Poverty
It goes without saying that the mass suburbanization of the past 60 years has been very bad news for people who can't afford cars, and it's getting worse as poverty levels rise in the suburbs.
April 4, 2014
Our Cities Can’t Afford So Many Rooftop Spas
First, let me be clear: Tomorrow is April Fools, not today. This is real.
March 31, 2014
Sec. Foxx: Bicycle Infrastructure Can Be a “Ladder of Opportunity”
This morning, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx’s blog post is all about bicycling. He opens by touting the complete streets policy he helped implement in Charlotte (it passed before he was mayor) and the city’s bike-share system -- the largest in the Southeast.
March 5, 2014
Study: Civil Rights Protections Lack Teeth When It Comes to Transportation
American transportation policy has a woeful history of civil rights abuses. For a good part of the 1950s and '60s, using highways to level black neighborhoods was a matter of national policy. And the white flight and segregation that those highways engendered have left a legacy that continues to shape much of America in the present day.
February 14, 2014
Study: For Americans With Lower Incomes, Long Commutes Sap Will to Vote
For decades, researchers going back to Robert Putnam have drawn connections between total leisure time and individuals' level of political and community involvement. New findings published in American Politics Research say the amount of time spent commuting is especially important in determining whether Americans vote, take part in political campaigns, and otherwise engage in politics.
November 21, 2013
NAACP: A Walkable Built Environment Is a “Premier Civil Rights Issue”
The shooting at the Capitol yesterday, which took place as Walking Summit advocates were there lobbying lawmakers, underscores a very important point: Street safety isn’t just about sidewalks and traffic. It’s also about crime.
October 4, 2013
Jarrett Walker: Empty Buses Serve a Purpose
Most transit agencies have been through some version of this scenario: In one part of the city, buses drive around stuffed like sardine tins, while elsewhere they can be all but empty. Car drivers mock the empty buses in low-density parts of the city. Some elected official picks up the banner, demanding that the transit agency stop flagrantly wasting taxpayer money by running these money-losing routes.
August 14, 2013