This week we have Rodney Harrell of the AARP Public Policy Institute to talk about the Institute's new Livability Index.
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Map Wire: A Change in the Pearl
At Reconnecting America we looked into a lot of streetcar projects. For some the streetcar has become an example of the worst of transit planning. Spending money for transit that's got a land use focus really gets people worked up. But the maps we're looking at today are just going to look at one area of the streetcar, change in property values proximate to the alignment. The other mobility issue is a whole other can of worms we can open at a later date.
One of the projects we worked on was looking at the value capture potential of the H Street Streetcar in DC. In order to compare other lines, we looked at property value changes over time. And as with other studies we had done on value capture, we found that values increase a lot when you start with a blank slate.
The key to creating value substantial enough to pay for infrastructure or affordable housing or anything else requires a lot of land, and a lot of land that is starting from zero or near zero. This can mean vacant parcels or underutilized parcels which I discussed in the last map post.
The maps below show two 6 year periods of the Pearl District, and you can see distinctly a lot of value being created where the vacant property of the rail yards were located West of the Post Office property. It was interesting to see the changes after buildings were constructed. I'd be interested to hear what others think of the maps. You can find similar ones for Seattle and Tampa in the Map Room. It would be interesting to look at the property value change now in 2015 vs 1997 when the streetcar plan was announced. 18 years is a good period of time to see what happened.
One of the projects we worked on was looking at the value capture potential of the H Street Streetcar in DC. In order to compare other lines, we looked at property value changes over time. And as with other studies we had done on value capture, we found that values increase a lot when you start with a blank slate.
The key to creating value substantial enough to pay for infrastructure or affordable housing or anything else requires a lot of land, and a lot of land that is starting from zero or near zero. This can mean vacant parcels or underutilized parcels which I discussed in the last map post.
The maps below show two 6 year periods of the Pearl District, and you can see distinctly a lot of value being created where the vacant property of the rail yards were located West of the Post Office property. It was interesting to see the changes after buildings were constructed. I'd be interested to hear what others think of the maps. You can find similar ones for Seattle and Tampa in the Map Room. It would be interesting to look at the property value change now in 2015 vs 1997 when the streetcar plan was announced. 18 years is a good period of time to see what happened.
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
A New Congestion Paradigm in LA
I don't get why we continue to focus on congestion in cities as something we need to "fix". Repeatedly we focus on congestion as if when it were solved our problems would be over. But congestion is the sign of a successful city, and curing it as Detroit has doesn't seem to be the right answer either.
But that doesn't really matter if we have created a better system of mobility and access. Back in 2011 CNU was in Madison and Joe Cortright was having a discussion with Tim Lomax of TTI about their mobility report which measures hours of delay. Confused by how they measured delay and thinking about my own situation, I noted out loud that I didn't count. I never saw any of the congestion on the roads because as a BART rider, I wasn't a part of it...yet we had one of the WORST ratings. It's because we as a society are often only talking about congestion on roads, and I wasn't on the road, but I had more reliable access to my job than anyone on the road.
This is partially why "congestion" in its current use is bad metric for deciding transportation investment. We don't account for moving people around more efficiently, just cars. And there are a lot of people that don't seem to count.
But this new plan being discussed in Los Angeles is going to show the benefits to thinking about mobility in a different way. The old way of "congestion" would increase according to the environmental report. The Level of Service Standard that has been used for environmental reporting would increase intersections receiving an E or F congestion score from 18% to 36% under this plan that includes increasing dedicated lanes for buses and bikes.
In most places this is a red alert to widen the roads and speed up the cars. But under the newer more mobility focused measure of average vehicle miles traveled the plan would increase VMT to 35 million miles per day instead of 38 million which would come if the plan were not implemented.
3 million miles per day means a lot when we're talking about emissions and mobility, showing that just because a few more interesections are more congested, providing mobility for more people has great benefits.
Of course the opposition still lives in the old paradigm and is upset. Richard Katz, a former member of the MTA board still worries about "congestion".
Others are also upset at not being able to focus on congestion anymore.
While we don't know where the plan will eventually end up, this is an exciting move that we'll hopefully start to see in other cities over time. Thinking less about "congestion" which we've been trying hard to fix since we started building freeways over 60 years ago will benefit everyone more. Instead, let's think of how we can get the most people to the places they want to go. Car optional.
But that doesn't really matter if we have created a better system of mobility and access. Back in 2011 CNU was in Madison and Joe Cortright was having a discussion with Tim Lomax of TTI about their mobility report which measures hours of delay. Confused by how they measured delay and thinking about my own situation, I noted out loud that I didn't count. I never saw any of the congestion on the roads because as a BART rider, I wasn't a part of it...yet we had one of the WORST ratings. It's because we as a society are often only talking about congestion on roads, and I wasn't on the road, but I had more reliable access to my job than anyone on the road.
This is partially why "congestion" in its current use is bad metric for deciding transportation investment. We don't account for moving people around more efficiently, just cars. And there are a lot of people that don't seem to count.
But this new plan being discussed in Los Angeles is going to show the benefits to thinking about mobility in a different way. The old way of "congestion" would increase according to the environmental report. The Level of Service Standard that has been used for environmental reporting would increase intersections receiving an E or F congestion score from 18% to 36% under this plan that includes increasing dedicated lanes for buses and bikes.
In most places this is a red alert to widen the roads and speed up the cars. But under the newer more mobility focused measure of average vehicle miles traveled the plan would increase VMT to 35 million miles per day instead of 38 million which would come if the plan were not implemented.
3 million miles per day means a lot when we're talking about emissions and mobility, showing that just because a few more interesections are more congested, providing mobility for more people has great benefits.
Of course the opposition still lives in the old paradigm and is upset. Richard Katz, a former member of the MTA board still worries about "congestion".
"Taking away lanes, which creates congestion, to try and force people to choose a different method of transportation other than the car, is a horrible way to solve a congestion problem," he said. "Why? It creates more congestion … and people don't respond well to being forced to do things."I would argue that we're forced to drive cars. Our system should give us opportunities that don't involve driving. But we know how that works in most places. LA doesn't have more room to expand the roads, so there has to be another way.
Others are also upset at not being able to focus on congestion anymore.
"Cars are just going to sit there," said Don Parker, a board member with Fix the City, an advocacy group fighting the plan. "So labeling it a mobility plan is just not reflective of what the plan actually does."Of course what he doesn't mention is that if cars just sit there, it's less likely they can hurt people in collisions at high speed. Or that they aren't creating greenhouse gasses. Or that people are finding more sustainable means of mobility.
While we don't know where the plan will eventually end up, this is an exciting move that we'll hopefully start to see in other cities over time. Thinking less about "congestion" which we've been trying hard to fix since we started building freeways over 60 years ago will benefit everyone more. Instead, let's think of how we can get the most people to the places they want to go. Car optional.
Monday, August 10, 2015
Podcast: Discussing San Antonio Transportation
This week on the podcast we're joined by Trish Wallace and Jillian Harris of the San Antonio Transportation Department to talk about the cities current past and current plans for mobility.
Map Wire: Calculating Underutilized Land on Transit Lines
For Realizing the Potential: Expanding Housing Opportunities Near Transit, a report done for FTA and HUD, we looked at five transit lines that were existing or under construction at the time. The lines included different transit modes including streetcar, light rail, and commuter rail.
This map shows the method we created to look at underutilized land, or land where the building values were worth less than the land on which they were located. Parcel data is always tricky given different estimating methodologies and tax systems as well as values attached to different land use types, but using this ratio gives an idea of how much land along a line might be available for redevelopment.
In the maps you can see that an established line such as Boston's Fairmount has less underutilized parcels than say Charlotte. The parcels are also much smaller. But Charlotte, based on the maps posted last week, has a lot of industrial land. There's also something to be said for industrial preservation, and transit lines can create a lot of pressure for redevelopment, even in places with productive industrial uses. It's a less mentioned form of displacement that has been happening in cities with industrial cores that have been on the receiving end of a lot of redevelopment and adaptive reuse.
In any event, this map might be of interest.
This map shows the method we created to look at underutilized land, or land where the building values were worth less than the land on which they were located. Parcel data is always tricky given different estimating methodologies and tax systems as well as values attached to different land use types, but using this ratio gives an idea of how much land along a line might be available for redevelopment.
In the maps you can see that an established line such as Boston's Fairmount has less underutilized parcels than say Charlotte. The parcels are also much smaller. But Charlotte, based on the maps posted last week, has a lot of industrial land. There's also something to be said for industrial preservation, and transit lines can create a lot of pressure for redevelopment, even in places with productive industrial uses. It's a less mentioned form of displacement that has been happening in cities with industrial cores that have been on the receiving end of a lot of redevelopment and adaptive reuse.
In any event, this map might be of interest.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Map Wire: Land Uses in 5 Transit Corridors
Back in 2008 we finished a report called Realizing the Potential: Expanding Housing Opportunities Near Transit. It was one of the first times that HUD and FTA had worked together and was a starting point for those agencies eventually working together as the Partnership for Sustainable Communities along with the EPA. You can see many of the recommendations for FTA and HUD to work together in this action plan from 2008 presented to congress.
But in the Realizing the Potential report, we looked at the affordable housing situations of five different rail corridors. I did 5 maps for each line looking at land use and housing data. The map below represents the different land uses on those corridors in Boston along the Fairmount Line, the Denver West Corridor which was recently completed, the Portland Streetcar, the Charlotte South Corridor, and Minneapolis' Hiawatha Line. Each map individually can be found in the report or in the map room. I believe this was put together for a powerpoint.
The interesting part is the huge difference in developable land on each line. While Boston is a built out corridor, Charlotte has a lot of industrial properties and large parcels that could be changed to housing. This was a fun map to make, but I must say the Boston parcel data was not fun to work with.
But in the Realizing the Potential report, we looked at the affordable housing situations of five different rail corridors. I did 5 maps for each line looking at land use and housing data. The map below represents the different land uses on those corridors in Boston along the Fairmount Line, the Denver West Corridor which was recently completed, the Portland Streetcar, the Charlotte South Corridor, and Minneapolis' Hiawatha Line. Each map individually can be found in the report or in the map room. I believe this was put together for a powerpoint.
The interesting part is the huge difference in developable land on each line. While Boston is a built out corridor, Charlotte has a lot of industrial properties and large parcels that could be changed to housing. This was a fun map to make, but I must say the Boston parcel data was not fun to work with.
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Podcast: Tanya Snyder Joins to Talk Earthquakes and City Kids, Not In That Order
This week we're joined by Talking Headways alum Tanya Snyder to discuss a whole bunch of issues including single family zoning in Seattle, the Cascadia Subduction Zone, folks leaving the cities they love and kids in cities. Join us for a fun half hour of chit chat about this and that.
Map Wire: High Speed Rail Flashback
I'm starting a new series of posts based on maps I've made in the past. Today's maps are from 2011 and feature the big hopes for the United States high speed rail program. Due to continued lack of funding after the stimulus and blockages from Congress, plans outside of California and Texas have been slowly moving along without much fanfare. There's been lots of talk about the Northeast Corridor but as I tweeted recently, I wonder how many New York Times articles it would take to get it going.
It's fun to take a look back at what we were thinking about in the past. Perhaps at some point it could be our future.
You can find the originals here [Investment Levels] + [ Project Pipeline]
It's fun to take a look back at what we were thinking about in the past. Perhaps at some point it could be our future.
You can find the originals here [Investment Levels] + [ Project Pipeline]
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Podcast: The Freeway That Never Was
This week on the podcast we chat with Brendan Wittstruck about I-755 in St. Louis, a freeway that was never built.
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Podcast: High Speed Rail Lessons for California from France and Germany
Eric Eidlin joins the podcast to talk about his German Marshall Fund research on High Speed Rail in France and Germany. Definitely check it out as there are lots of great discussions about station land uses, station locations, and last mile connections.
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Podcast: Janne Flisrand Talks Raising Community Voices
This week on the podcast, Janne Flisrand, an Urban Anthropologist, Network Weaver, and writer at Streets.mn talks about which voices we are including in city discussions, community meetings, equity and more. Join us! And don't forget you can find us on iTunes and Stitcher. Just type in Talking Headways.
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Podcast: Mary Newsom Talks Charlotte's Appetite for Growth
On this week's talking headways podcast, the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute's Mary Newsom talks about Charlotte's history, urban growth, and transportation.
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
An Urban Issue Podcast Library
I started doing a podcast with Streetsblog just over a year and a half ago. It was a way to do something without having to think through a whole blog and just have a general conversation about all the news I was finding each week with my friend Tanya. It has since evolved to one where I'm the host and we have guests from week to week to talk about what's going on in cities.
But I'd been listening to sports, comedy, and the usual NPR style podcasts for a long time. Some of my favorites I still listen to today are the Men in Blazers who mix in pop culture with US and International Soccer and the Scott Mills daily from the BBC. Random I know.
But urban issue specific podcasts were few and far between. And still kind of are, but the list is growing. I though I would put together a list folks might find interesting but I also hope more will try their hand at interviewing friends and colleagues who have something interesting to say. Ira Glass says not everyone has an interesting story, but in this world of transit and cities, I imagine most of the people who work in the field have a strong knowledge of their field and can share experiences.
I know I probably missed some so add your favorites to the comments section and I'll add them to the list. Also, I tried not to post podcasts that were not ongoing at this time. There's quite a few that have started and fizzled out.
The Urban Issues Podcast List
APA Planning Podcast - his one is a little bit of everything in the planning world. It's likely you'll be able to find something to enjoy, but it might be hit or miss week to week.
iTunes | Stitcher
Cascadiacast - This podcast based in the Pacific NW and housed at the Urbanist.
iTunes
Civic Strategies Podcast - Otis White talks with urban leaders about what's going on with their cities once a month. You can listen to it on his website.
Damien Talks - Streetsblog LA's Damien Newton has California guests on to talk about transportation and livable streets issues.
Libsyn
Monocle Urbanist Podcast - Monocle is a British magazine and this podcast takes you to different parts of the world to discuss urban policy and design. I really enjoy this one because it's great each week.
iTunes | Stitcher | Soundcloud
Live @ SPUR Podcast - SPUR has great evening and lunchtime speaker events and they just recently started putting them together in podcast form.
Soundcloud
Urban Solutions Audio - Audio Clips produced for the NRDC Urban Solutions program. Covering urban issues from transportation to water.
Soundcloud
Streets.mn Podcast - Bill Lindeke puts together a great informational podcast about the comings and goings of urban issues in the Twin Cities.
iTunes
Strong Towns Podcast - Chuck Marohn sometimes talks on his own, and sometimes has guests. Mostly they talk transportation and cities, sometimes they talk the Hunger Games.
iTunes | Stitcher
Talking Headways Podcast - I'm biased of course but I think it's pretty great. Hosted at Streetsblog we talk about transportation and urban issues each week with a new guest. Early episodes included the wonderful Tanya Snyder as co-host.
iTunes | Stitcher
The Infrastructure Show - Professor Joseph Schofer of Northwestern University talks infrastructure of all kinds. Panama Canal or Bust!
iTunes
The Indy Show - The folks at Urban Indy have just dipped their toes into the podcasting waters, let's hope they keep it going. Great first episode.
Episode 1
This is the Nature of Cities Podcast - Accompanying the Nature of Cities blog, this audio series discusses the ecology of cities.
iTunes
Transit Matters Podcast - Broadcasting from Boston about transportation issues, Jeremy Mendelson talks MBTA and more.
iTunes |
Urban Cincy Podcast - The guys at Urban Cincy put on a great podcast talking about local Cincinnati issues with a panel of guests. Super enjoyable.
iTunes | Stitcher
Urbanism Speakeasy - Host Andy Boenau has guests each show talking about urban issues such as transportation and urban design.
iTunes | Stitcher
The Urbanophile - Aaron Renn has various guests on his audio podcast usually connected to either his site the Urbanophile or City Journal.
Soundcloud
99% Invisible - Roman Mars and company discuss design in all it's forms. Not quite a city focused podcast but lots of elements and one of the most popular on the planet.
iTunes | Stitcher | Soundcloud
But I'd been listening to sports, comedy, and the usual NPR style podcasts for a long time. Some of my favorites I still listen to today are the Men in Blazers who mix in pop culture with US and International Soccer and the Scott Mills daily from the BBC. Random I know.
But urban issue specific podcasts were few and far between. And still kind of are, but the list is growing. I though I would put together a list folks might find interesting but I also hope more will try their hand at interviewing friends and colleagues who have something interesting to say. Ira Glass says not everyone has an interesting story, but in this world of transit and cities, I imagine most of the people who work in the field have a strong knowledge of their field and can share experiences.
I know I probably missed some so add your favorites to the comments section and I'll add them to the list. Also, I tried not to post podcasts that were not ongoing at this time. There's quite a few that have started and fizzled out.
The Urban Issues Podcast List
APA Planning Podcast - his one is a little bit of everything in the planning world. It's likely you'll be able to find something to enjoy, but it might be hit or miss week to week.
iTunes | Stitcher
Cascadiacast - This podcast based in the Pacific NW and housed at the Urbanist.
iTunes
Civic Strategies Podcast - Otis White talks with urban leaders about what's going on with their cities once a month. You can listen to it on his website.
Damien Talks - Streetsblog LA's Damien Newton has California guests on to talk about transportation and livable streets issues.
Libsyn
Monocle Urbanist Podcast - Monocle is a British magazine and this podcast takes you to different parts of the world to discuss urban policy and design. I really enjoy this one because it's great each week.
iTunes | Stitcher | Soundcloud
Live @ SPUR Podcast - SPUR has great evening and lunchtime speaker events and they just recently started putting them together in podcast form.
Soundcloud
Urban Solutions Audio - Audio Clips produced for the NRDC Urban Solutions program. Covering urban issues from transportation to water.
Soundcloud
Streets.mn Podcast - Bill Lindeke puts together a great informational podcast about the comings and goings of urban issues in the Twin Cities.
iTunes
Strong Towns Podcast - Chuck Marohn sometimes talks on his own, and sometimes has guests. Mostly they talk transportation and cities, sometimes they talk the Hunger Games.
iTunes | Stitcher
Talking Headways Podcast - I'm biased of course but I think it's pretty great. Hosted at Streetsblog we talk about transportation and urban issues each week with a new guest. Early episodes included the wonderful Tanya Snyder as co-host.
iTunes | Stitcher
The Infrastructure Show - Professor Joseph Schofer of Northwestern University talks infrastructure of all kinds. Panama Canal or Bust!
iTunes
The Indy Show - The folks at Urban Indy have just dipped their toes into the podcasting waters, let's hope they keep it going. Great first episode.
Episode 1
This is the Nature of Cities Podcast - Accompanying the Nature of Cities blog, this audio series discusses the ecology of cities.
iTunes
Transit Matters Podcast - Broadcasting from Boston about transportation issues, Jeremy Mendelson talks MBTA and more.
iTunes |
Urban Cincy Podcast - The guys at Urban Cincy put on a great podcast talking about local Cincinnati issues with a panel of guests. Super enjoyable.
iTunes | Stitcher
Urbanism Speakeasy - Host Andy Boenau has guests each show talking about urban issues such as transportation and urban design.
iTunes | Stitcher
The Urbanophile - Aaron Renn has various guests on his audio podcast usually connected to either his site the Urbanophile or City Journal.
Soundcloud
99% Invisible - Roman Mars and company discuss design in all it's forms. Not quite a city focused podcast but lots of elements and one of the most popular on the planet.
iTunes | Stitcher | Soundcloud
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Podcast: The Sharing Economy
This week Brooks Rainwater from the National League of Cities joins us to talk about what city leaders think about the sharing economy. We also talk some robots and singularity. Fun times. Enjoy!
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Even a 5 Year Old Knows to Skip the Drive
After getting rid of my car about 5 years ago, I often miss being able to do certain things like driving up the coast or heading out to a great trailhead. I can still do those things but now there's a bit of a mental burden to paying $10 per hour for that privilege. Of course that's what keeps me from more VMT, but I also forget what driving was sometimes like. For many it's a necessity, but also a burden. This commercial might be a good representation of the reason why younger folks are waiting until later to get a driver's license. Because while enjoyable on the open road, driving often can be a pain.
Monday, June 15, 2015
Become a Patron of The Overhead Wire and The Direct Transfer Daily
Hey All!
Thanks for keeping up with The Overhead Wire and The Direct Transfer in your RSS feeds or by checking back in to the website. Many of you are using the RSS instead of getting the daily email and that's awesome. As many of you know, for nine years I've put together The Direct Transfer Daily (formerly The Other Side of the Tracks) and for the last few months (and a year+ with Tanya Snyder) have been doing the Talking Headways Podcast at StreetsblogUSA. In my previous job there was a bit of support for these projects however now that I'm working on my own as a consultant that isn't as sustainable. It probably wasn't sustainable before but I love doing it and still do.
I'd like to keep collecting news and podcasting to share information with folks who love cities. Hopefully I can also write more at The Overhead Wire and here. My intern Kelly has been loading news and writing posts and I need to keep paying her for that great work and pay for some of my time creating these resources.
So if you're so inclined I would really appreciate your support. The Patreon is a monthly subscription donation that you choose. It can range from cents to $150 a month. That higher level will allow someone to co-host the podcast with me once a year. $2 a month gets you a sticker with our loveable Overhead Wire logo on it.
You can pledge continuing support for The Overhead Wire on Patreon here.
Folks have also been asking if they can give one time. I'm more than happy to have your support that way too. You can click on the PayPal Link Below.
So let's keep this going. Thanks so much for continued reading of our link collections and listening to the podcast. We really appreciate it and I hope they help you as well.
Thanks for keeping up with The Overhead Wire and The Direct Transfer in your RSS feeds or by checking back in to the website. Many of you are using the RSS instead of getting the daily email and that's awesome. As many of you know, for nine years I've put together The Direct Transfer Daily (formerly The Other Side of the Tracks) and for the last few months (and a year+ with Tanya Snyder) have been doing the Talking Headways Podcast at StreetsblogUSA. In my previous job there was a bit of support for these projects however now that I'm working on my own as a consultant that isn't as sustainable. It probably wasn't sustainable before but I love doing it and still do.
I'd like to keep collecting news and podcasting to share information with folks who love cities. Hopefully I can also write more at The Overhead Wire and here. My intern Kelly has been loading news and writing posts and I need to keep paying her for that great work and pay for some of my time creating these resources.
So if you're so inclined I would really appreciate your support. The Patreon is a monthly subscription donation that you choose. It can range from cents to $150 a month. That higher level will allow someone to co-host the podcast with me once a year. $2 a month gets you a sticker with our loveable Overhead Wire logo on it.
You can pledge continuing support for The Overhead Wire on Patreon here.
Folks have also been asking if they can give one time. I'm more than happy to have your support that way too. You can click on the PayPal Link Below.
So let's keep this going. Thanks so much for continued reading of our link collections and listening to the podcast. We really appreciate it and I hope they help you as well.
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Podcast: Tara Pham Discusses St. Louis and Civic Innovation
This week on the podcast, Tara Pham joins the podcast to talk about St. Louis. We talk about the music scene, civic innovation, the internet service economy, and her company's focus on collecting better data for cities. Check it out!
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Podcast: Bruce Katz Discusses UK devolution and the Power of Metro Regions
This week Bruce Katz from the Brookings Institution joins us to talk about plans for devolution in the United Kingdom and how the lessons from that process can be applied here in the United States by the federal and state governments. Lots of great quotes in this one, so you'll want to take a listen.
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
The Next Big Tech Hub?
With the tech-driven growth that many places have seen, cities all over the US are trying to become the next big tech hub. Cities are trying to woo developers, incentivize start-up development, or become the next city with Google Fiber. However, Chattanooga, with its superfast fiber-optic broadband network, knows that high speed Internet isn’t the only thing that’s needed to attract tech companies. They’ve already seen economic growth from the higher broadband speeds, but they’re also trying to increase density and strategize ways to continue growing sustainably by diversifying development.
But while other cities strive to attract large tech companies, Mountain View is growing wary of them. Recently, the city denied a Google plan to build its new headquarters there, despite Google offering $240 million in community benefits for the development rights. Instead, Mountain View awarded LinkedIn the rights to develop in North Bayshore, in order to avoid becoming dependent on one big company.
There is some reason to their fears. Silicon Valley’s rapid growth has transformed nearby cities, and it’s spilling over. Demand for housing is high, and it’s driving up rents. The existing infrastructure is nowhere near sufficient to handle the volume of users, resulting in traffic congestion and constant transit woes. Bay Area cities have grown rapidly, and there is definite backlash. Even cities in the East Bay have seen dramatic and rapid development. Many cities located near BART stations have seen an influx of housing and retail development.
One developer, Lennar, is counting on the continued spillover of tech workers into neighboring cities. They’ve bought an 11-acre chunk of land in Fremont that they intend to develop into 2200 houses, apartments and offices. This is in addition to two other large housing developments that Lennar is intending to build in San Francisco. Other developers have followed suit and bought parcels of land, albeit smaller. While these developments will take over a decade to complete, demand is high, and still growing.
But while other cities strive to attract large tech companies, Mountain View is growing wary of them. Recently, the city denied a Google plan to build its new headquarters there, despite Google offering $240 million in community benefits for the development rights. Instead, Mountain View awarded LinkedIn the rights to develop in North Bayshore, in order to avoid becoming dependent on one big company.
There is some reason to their fears. Silicon Valley’s rapid growth has transformed nearby cities, and it’s spilling over. Demand for housing is high, and it’s driving up rents. The existing infrastructure is nowhere near sufficient to handle the volume of users, resulting in traffic congestion and constant transit woes. Bay Area cities have grown rapidly, and there is definite backlash. Even cities in the East Bay have seen dramatic and rapid development. Many cities located near BART stations have seen an influx of housing and retail development.
One developer, Lennar, is counting on the continued spillover of tech workers into neighboring cities. They’ve bought an 11-acre chunk of land in Fremont that they intend to develop into 2200 houses, apartments and offices. This is in addition to two other large housing developments that Lennar is intending to build in San Francisco. Other developers have followed suit and bought parcels of land, albeit smaller. While these developments will take over a decade to complete, demand is high, and still growing.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Podcast: Yonah Freemark on TOD
This week we have Yonah Freemark on the podcast to talk about TOD in Chicago. How come the population is shrinking even in strong market parts of the city and what can we do about it? Yonah also mentions why the zoning code is the way that it is and his definition of TOD. Listen in to hear more.
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Podcast: Missing Middle Housing with Dan Parolek
On this week's podcast we have Dan Parolek of Opticos Design. He talks about different housing types that we don't often think about building such as duplexes and mansion houses. They even put together a nifty website missingmiddlehousing.com.
So check it out if you get a chance!
So check it out if you get a chance!
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Podcast: Transportation, Festivals, Water, and More! in Milwaukee Wisconsin
On this week's Talking Headways podcast we chat with Jeramey Jannene of Urban Milwaukee about his fair city. He discusses a whole bunch of topics including the streetcar, transit funding, freeway teardowns, bike share, and water. So check out this week's episode and find out more about the density of Wisconsin's largest city. You can also find it on Streetsblog, iTunes, or Stitcher.
Monday, May 11, 2015
Building Livable Cities for Our Aging Population
Cities, for the most part, are built for the young and the mobile. For the elderly, cities can be hostile environments. Walk signals don’t last long enough for them to make it through the crosswalk, pavements are uneven, and lighting is insufficient. This is an urgent problem that will need to be addressed. By 2030, two-thirds of the world will live in cities, and in developed areas, as many as one in four people will be over the age of 60. The World Health Organization’s Age-Friendly Cities program sets out to counteract this very problem. Currently, 258 cities have signed up and vowed to become more “age-friendly.”
But as our population ages, what exactly can we do to improve the livability for seniors? For cities like Philadelphia, where one in seven people is over 65, the problem will have to be dealt with sooner rather than later. While the US tends to focus on Social Security and Medicare as big issues for the elderly, one of the biggest problems seniors face is the lack of affordable and accessible housing. Philadelphia has adopted zoning changes so that accessory dwelling units are easier to build. These units can allow the elderly to live in the accessory units while renting out their home for extra income, or letting their family live in their home as caregivers.
Another phenomenon occurring in cities where the elderly population is growing is NORCs, or naturally occurring retirement communities. In some neighborhoods, the senior population may have strong ties to the community and attachment to their homes. As a result, they tend to stay in place rather than move to a smaller home in a better climate, and the community will have a higher number of senior citizens. As communities like this occur more often, the neighborhoods will have to change to adapt to the needs of its residents: better transit, accessible buildings, and pedestrian-friendly streets.
The AARP recently created a livability index that may help measure a community’s suitability for seniors. The index scores neighborhoods in seven different categories on a scale from 1 to 100: housing, transportation, environment, health, engagement, opportunity, and neighborhood. It’s not perfect, but it may help cities improve in areas where they are lacking, and become more livable for their elderly residents.
But as our population ages, what exactly can we do to improve the livability for seniors? For cities like Philadelphia, where one in seven people is over 65, the problem will have to be dealt with sooner rather than later. While the US tends to focus on Social Security and Medicare as big issues for the elderly, one of the biggest problems seniors face is the lack of affordable and accessible housing. Philadelphia has adopted zoning changes so that accessory dwelling units are easier to build. These units can allow the elderly to live in the accessory units while renting out their home for extra income, or letting their family live in their home as caregivers.
Another phenomenon occurring in cities where the elderly population is growing is NORCs, or naturally occurring retirement communities. In some neighborhoods, the senior population may have strong ties to the community and attachment to their homes. As a result, they tend to stay in place rather than move to a smaller home in a better climate, and the community will have a higher number of senior citizens. As communities like this occur more often, the neighborhoods will have to change to adapt to the needs of its residents: better transit, accessible buildings, and pedestrian-friendly streets.
The AARP recently created a livability index that may help measure a community’s suitability for seniors. The index scores neighborhoods in seven different categories on a scale from 1 to 100: housing, transportation, environment, health, engagement, opportunity, and neighborhood. It’s not perfect, but it may help cities improve in areas where they are lacking, and become more livable for their elderly residents.
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