Telling the Story of Cities
The promises and peril for transit expansion in Puerto Rico Photo by: Gian Cordero Last month in San Juan, after a week of free service, the Director of the Integrated Transit Authority of Puerto Rico (ATI) announced that the system saw a 26% increase in patronage, demonstrating that when the public perceives a public transit… Read more Navigating Colonial Challenges: The State of Public Transit in San Juan
Why transit agencies and advocates should learn from car ads to make planning less contentious Image credit: GO Transit Adam Gopnik writes that transit advocacy in the US lacks the same “passionate constituency aroused by cars and by bicycles,” with most people willing to “settle for Chinatown buses and carpools and shuttle planes,” for example,… Read more Selling Transit Dreams
U.S Supreme Court declines to hear rent stabilization cases Source: Politico On February 20, the Supreme Court denied requests to hear the appeals of two cases relating to New York City’s Rent Stabilization Law (RSL). The two cases came from trade organizations and the owners of apartment buildings in New York City, who believe the… Read more NYC Rent Stabilization is Safe, For Now
(This piece includes major spoilers for the film’s plot.) Many urban planners, myself included, put Japanese planning on a pedestal of sorts. Japan is known for its urbanist achievements from efficient high-speed trains to delightful mixed-use neighborhoods of alleyways with tiny stores below compact residences (illegal to build in most of the United States, never… Read more Why Every Planner Should Watch Ikiru by Akira Kurosawa
Seattle Design Festival by Trevor Dykstra (flickr) Cities across the world use tactical urbanism to create engaging and active streetscapes. Reclaiming streets for pedestrians; activating parks and plazas with sculptures, seating, and plants; and making room for urban play — these are just some ways that urban design can spark joy. These action-oriented approaches are… Read more Tactical Urbanism: tangible and innovative ways to spark urban joy