• ‘Little Vehicles’ and the streets that love them

    Little Vehicles, including bikes, scooters, e-bikes, velomobiles, motorized skateboards, unicycles, and “hoverboards,” have the potential to transform urban living. Safe infrastructure is needed to get the most of these new modes.
    It was hot. We were tired. After an afternoon of shopping on Austin’s South Congress Avenue, we were ready to call a ride-hailing service to carry us on the short trip back to our hotel when we saw them: two bright red electric scooters winking at us from the side of the sidewalk. In what seemed...Read more

  • San Francisco makes downtown artery car-free

    Banning of cars is the first step in a streetscape reconstruction of the city’s major thoroughfare.
    The busiest section of the busiest street in San Francisco became car-free in the past week. Market Street is a major shopping street and an employment center through the central business district. Private cars, including Uber and Lyft, were permanently banned on a 2-mile-long section of the...Read more

  • Posters promote restoring avenue in place of freeway

    These posters have been installed under the Claiborne Expressway, an elevated freeway in New Orleans that replaced oak-tree-lined Claiborne Avenue—the heart of the Treme neighborhood—in the 1960s. Some of those who came of age during the highway's construction continue to fight to restore Claiborne...Read more

  • Ten rules for successful storefront design

    An engaging storefront starts with a vision, then good storytelling, and design that engages the community.
    Editor's note: The following is an excerpt from an e-book, The Ten No-B.S. Rules for Successful Storefront Design . If you are a retail or restaurant entrepreneur, reading the entire book is highly recommended—it is full of excellent advice. Download here . 1. Create a vision You are a small...Read more