Studies & Reports
Basics
Researchers Confirm Link Between Active Commuting and Better Health
It makes intuitive sense that cycling and walking to work regularly
would help people stay healthy, but until now there's only been
anecdotal evidence suggesting that places where
walking or cycling to work is common also have lower rates of obesity.
August 20, 2010
Report: Good Transit and Good Jobs Go Hand in Hand
How could federal job creation programs be greener? Making access to public transit a priority would be one way.
November 20, 2008
Jan Gehl: New York Could Have World’s Best Streets
When DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, together with consultant and Danish urban planner Jan Gehl, introduced the new "World Class Streets" doc [PDF] to a crowd of over 300 last Thursday evening at the Center for Architecture, the event seemed equal parts town hall meeting and celebrity book launch.
November 17, 2008
The Case for Active Transportation, by the Numbers
Thanks to commenter Stephen for prodding us to post on the new report from the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, "Active Transportation for America" (download the PDF here).
October 24, 2008
In New Report, RPA Reinforces Link Between Transit and Growth
Following yesterday's Build for America launch and last night's presidential debate, the Regional Plan Association released a major report today recommending an array of public transportation improvements for New York City and northern New Jersey, adding its name to the ever-growing list of orgs and officials calling for federal investment to spur and sustain economic growth in the coming decades.
October 16, 2008
Jan Gehl Reflects on San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf
"When I was a visiting professor at Berkeley in the 1980s, I used to come to Fisherman's Wharf and walk around," Danish urban designer Jan Gehl said Wednesday night, to more than 100 San Franciscans at the Pier 39 Theater near Fisherman's Wharf. "Now it's like deja vu; it's exactly like I remember it 25 years ago."
October 9, 2008
Jan Gehl Says San Francisco Must be Sweet to Pedestrians and Cyclists
It's a good day in a city's urbanist evolution when Jan Gehl comes to town, and now San Francisco can add itself to the growing list of cities around the world that have embraced his people-first approach to urban design and planning.
October 8, 2008
A Citywide Prescription for Livable Streets
Today Transportation Alternatives released "Streets to Live By" [PDF], the report previewed last week in the Observer. It seeks to define what makes a street livable and to synthesize a broad range of data, culled from numerous cities, on the effects of policies that put pedestrians first.
August 7, 2008
Measuring the Value of Livable Streets
Ever wonder how much New York stands to gain by making its streets more livable? Transportation Alternatives has been gathering evidence measuring the economic and social benefits that accrue when cities put pedestrians first. Their report is coming out next week, but the Observer published a sneak preview (headline: "The Woonerf Deficit") this Tuesday:
July 31, 2008
Kheel Plan: Double the Congestion Charge & Make Transit Free
"If you were to design the ultimate system, you would have mass transit be free and charge an enormous amount for cars."
December 18, 2007