• Atlanta zoning update addresses parking, ADUs, missing middle

    Atlanta is growing at an "unprecedented rate" and is trying to become more multimodal and less car-centric.
    The City of Atlanta recently adopted a zoning update designed to accommodate a growing population—including reductions in off-street parking requirements and more opportunities for “missing middle” housing types and accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in single-family neighborhoods. The update resulted...Read more

  • The 5-minute intersection repair

    Architect and urban designer Tom Low says that Charlotte, North Carolina, is experiencing a "tidal wave" of infill projects, bringing in more pedestrians, cyclists, and scooter riders that conflict with the city's automobile-oriented street network built when the city had different priorities. "...Read more

  • Merging Tactical Urbanism with public works

    The City of Burlington, Vermont, has initiated an innovative, flexible streetscape improvement program that saves money and time and is more responsive to the community.
    Burlington’s interest in bike-walk issues goes back decades, at least to when Bernie Sanders was mayor, when his administration focused on the revitalization of downtown and the waterfront in the 1980s—working with Republicans and Democrats at the start of his political career. The city of 42,000...Read more

  • Good congestion, bad congestion

    Our model for traffic congestion is flawed. We need to make the crucial distinction between good and bad congestion and plan our transportation systems accordingly.
    A few years ago, after taking a blood test, my doctor told me I had a cholesterol problem. I wasn’t in immediate danger, but I started running regularly. After a year I returned for tests, and he told me the good news: My life expectancy had risen eight years . That was my best checkup ever. What...Read more