Yesterday, I spent the day touring New York City. I saw many interesting bits of urbanism, from the World Trade Center construction site (which, after years of delays, is finally being reconstructed) to the High Line (an old raised urban railroad that has now been turned into a spectacular park/public space). New York City is… Continue reading The Layers of NYC
This past weekend, Tucson had its first cyclovia event. On Sunday, from 10 AM until 2 PM, four sections of different streets were closed off to automobile traffic, freeing the streets for non-motorized activities for miles. This page has more information, and this blog has a good write up of the event. The purpose of… Continue reading Cyclivia in Tucson: The Posibilities for the Future
When environmentalists talk about the sustainability/green movement, many times you hear two different solutions: Solution #1One side discusses the benefits of urban density. Everyone must live in dense walkable areas that stimulate community connectivity. We need to reduce automobile dependence by living close to most of our daily services and ideally, close to our jobs… Continue reading The Urban Solution vs. the Rural Solution: The Internal Conflict Within the Green Movement
I would like to start this post with a disclaimer: I am not an anti-car person, and I never will be. Motor vehicles are amazing inventions. They increase mobility for the users and allow owners of cars to go wherever they want whenever they want. However, there are a few drawbacks to a car oriented… Continue reading What Methods Can We Use to Prevent People from Buying a Car in the First Place? 1. Carsharing
A: There is nowhere to walk to. In my neighborhood in Albuquerque (Far Northeast Heights), I just went on a walk. As I was walking, I decided to estimate how large each house lot was: 33 of my steps. This means that only about 2-5 people live within 33 steps worth of street frontage. In… Continue reading Q: Why Does Nobody Walk?
All day, I read blogs and studies citing the importance of progressive planning policy. These articles discuss all the benefits of creating developments that are walkable and “New Urbanist” in nature. I do not disagree with any of these statements or opinions. In fact, I agree with the vast majority of them. These are not… Continue reading What Kind of Neighborhoods Do Americans Want?
Dan Majewski 