Hey, Kohl’s – how about a bike rack?

Rode my new Trek Allant to the local Kohl’s store this morning. I ended up parking and locking it inside the vestibule, as there are no bike racks and not even any signs near the entrance to park my bike safely. Of course they have cigarette disposal units near each entrance for the unhealthy set, and they kept broadcasting how green and environmentally conscious they are on their intercom system, but not a single bike rack to be found. Only acres of asphalt and concrete.

I have been trying to persuade the store to add bike racks ever since it opened approximately 8-10 years ago.  I have spoken to staff, written emails, and left customer comment cards – so far without any success. This despite the documented evidence showing bicycling is good for business.

So here’s my new tactic – broadcasting how much I spent in their store as a bike riding customer in hopes to shame them into action. So Kohl’s – I spent $140.00 at your store this morning – do you think you could afford a bike rack or two now?

Graceful Danish bicycle bridges

Canal Bridges in Copenhagen – Source: copenhagenize.com

Above and below are both photographs and/or artist’s renderings of some of the graceful and stylish bicycle bridges that can be found in Denmark. While these bridges may not have the dynamic boldness of those posted previously from the Netherlands, they are sleek, artistic, handsome, and functional in their own right. Particularly likable is the way these bridges fit aesthetically into their surroundings without being overpowering. Enjoy!

Brygge Bridge in Copenhagen – Source: kimbach.org

Inderhavns (retractable) Bridge in Copenhagen – Source: dak.dk

Abuen Bridge in Copenhagen – Source: demotix.com

Cable-stayed bridge under development in Odense – Source: cycling-embassy.dk

Woven Bridge in Copenhagen – Source mlrp.dk

 

A cut above – Detroit’s Dequindre Cut

Source: smithgroupjjr.com

For those out there that think Detroit’s a lost cause, the magnificent Dequindre Cut Greenway is an example of why you are wrong. Constructed along an abandoned below-grade rail corridor, the 1.35 mile greenway links some of Detroit’s coolest features – including the scenic 2.5 mile long RiverWalk, the vibrant Eastern Market, and the trendy Villages. Combine those with a world-class greenway for cyclists and pedestrians and some seriously hip graffiti artwork and you have the recipe for a Midwestern version of New York City’s High Line or Atlanta’s Belt Line.

Source: streetsblog.org

Kudos to all those individuals and organizations involved in making the Dequindre Cut a post-industrial success story that truly is “a cut above” most other nonmotorized trails.

Source: freep.com

 

 

PortMiami Tunnel to open in May

Source: youtube.com

The twin-tube 4,200 foot long PortMiami Tunnel is scheduled to open to traffic in May of 2014. Under construction since 2010, the $1 billion public-private partnership project will extend Interstate 395 under the Government Cut shipping channel separating Watson Island and Dodge Island thus linking the Port of Miami (a.k.a. PortMiami) with the city’s mainland highway network.

Source: portofmiamitunnel.com

The highway tunnel is designed to provide a continuous fixed link (rather than a drawbridge) which allows port related traffic, including heavy truck traffic and cruise-related traffic, to avoid clogging downtown Miami streets. In 2013, Miami saw more than four million passengers pass through its cruise ship terminals, which makes it the busiest cruise port in the world.

Source: gzconsultants.com

 

Eleven planning lessons from Boston/Cambridge

Downtown Boston from Cambridge

I had the opportunity to visit Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts in mid-March. Here is a list of eleven planning-related lessons I took away from visiting these two dynamic cities.

• Preserve, protect and celebrate your community’s history.
• A varied blend of historic structures and new edifices is visually intoxicating.
• Savor and build upon the benefits derived from being home to institutions of higher education.
• Cultural diversity and inclusiveness makes a community much more vibrant.
• Accessible mass transit and bike sharing systems are wonderful things.
• Denser urban development can be softened by rich and varied public spaces.
• The removal of an ugly freeway can reawaken once forlorn areas.
• The heart of the city can be a great place to raise a family.
• Pedestrians, bicyclists, transit, and cars can successfully and safely coexist.
• A thriving city requires thriving neighborhoods – you cannot have one without the other.
• A compact and walkable urban core is far more preferable to a sprawling mess.

The poetry of a spring bike commute

Spring Morning Commute

By Rick Brown

 

Wheels spin round and round

Traversing the paved terrain

They roll in cadent unison

Along the paved bike lane

 

Fresh air breezes past me

As fragrances abound

Spring charms once dulled senses

As my wheels spin round and round

 

Songbirds serenade me

With their musical delights

A cavalcade of sweet tunes

To start the day off right

 

One pedal before the next

While shifting gears in time

In constant, subtle harmony

A soothing, recurrent rhyme

 

Away from the congestion

Through canopies of bliss

My wheels roll ever onward

Cloaked in the morning mist

 

Freed from harried schedules

As the wheels spin on and on

To enjoy keepsake moments

Amid the day-breaking dawn.

2014

Most innovative USA metros: 2000-2011

Source: inc.com/magazine/201404/lydia-belanger/the-most-innovative-cities.html

Below is a list of the twenty most innovative metropolitan areas in the United States, based on the number of patents issued between 2000 and 2011. Most surprising is the absence of the Research Triangle of Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Denver-Boulder, Colorado; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and the Salt Lake City, Utah urban areas.

1. Silicon Valley, California = 89,547
2. New York City, New York = 61,587
3. San Francisco-Oakland, California = 54,205
4. Los Angeles, California = 49,193
5. Boston-Cambridge, Massachusetts = 40,195
6. Chicago, Illinois = 31,751
7. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota = 28,088
8. Seattle, Washington = 26,359
9. San Diego, California = 25,790
10. Detroit-Ann Arbor, Michigan = 25,293
11. Dallas- Fort Worth, Texas = 23,230
12. Austin, Texas = 22,916
13. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania = 22,481
14. Houston, Texas = 21,035
15. Portland, Oregon = 17,641
16. Washington, DC-MD-VA = 16,061
17. Boise, Idaho = 15,969
18. Phoenix, Arizona = 14,438
19. Rochester, New York = 14,407
20. Atlanta, Georgia = 14,381

Source: inc.com/magazine/201404/lydia-belanger/the-most-innovative-cities.html

Your live in a tax haven when…

Source: ltjj.org

Late March/early April here in the States seemed like the perfect time of the year for this satirical post. Enjoy!

• There are nonstop flights to Switzerland, Grand Cayman, Luxembourg, and Monaco, but no place else.
• More Wall Street brokerage firms have offices there than on Wall Street itself.
• Gordon Gekko is mayor.
• There are statues honoring Ebenezer Scrooge and Jacob Marley.
• Streets are paved with gold and silver bullion.
• There is no need for accountants or tax lawyers.
• 1040 is just a number.
• Gangsters are replaced by banksters.
• The whole darn place is duty-free.
• There are more private jets and yachts per capita than anywhere else in the world.
• Monopoly is the favorite board game.
• Polo is more than a brand name.
• Money bags exceed grocery bags.
• The power plant is fueled with cash for there really is “money to burn.”
• Pinkerton, Brinks, and Garda sell armored cars for personal use.
• The high school team’s logo is the $.
• Nobody ever needs deductions.
• All cats are fat.
• Money really does grow on trees.

Great seaports from space – Southern Europe

For part two of this series, here are satellite images of seven great seaports of Southern Europe – Barcelona, Spain; Cadiz, Spain; Constanta, Romania; Genoa, Italy; Istanbul, Turkey; Marseilles, France; and Piraeus, Greece. The harbours almost resemble jagged teeth of a saw blade ripping into the adjacent waters (or alternatively into the urban form) and often stand in stark contrast to the orderly design of the city’s street grid – particularly evident in the images of Barcelona and Piraeus.

A magnificent view of Barcelona, Spain – Source: apollomapping.com

Cadiz, Spain – Source: commons.wikimedia.org

Constanta, Romania – Source: tours-tv.com

Genoa, Italy – Source: en.wikipedia.org

Istanbul, Turkey – Source: virtualtripping.com

Marseilles, France – Source: astrium-geo.com

Piraeus (Athens), Greece – Source: ham.gr

 

The ultimate merger of beer and bikes

Source: pedalpub.com/

Just when you’ve seen everything, you stumble across something wholly unexpected. In this case it is bike bars (a.k.a. pedal pubs, pedal cruisers, etc.). These pedal-powered mobile beer bars are starting to pop up in entertainment districts and venues across the country. Needless to say, these four-wheeled pubs happily merge two favorite past times – beer and bicycles. The best part is you don’t have to pedal while consuming your libations, you can just go along for the ride. Ahhh…beer bliss and fresh air. What a great combination!

Source: pedalpub.com/blox/licensees-map/