Category Archives: transit

Two downtown pedestrian malls that work and work very well

Posted on May 19, 2017 by

I have now had the pleasure of recently visiting two American cities with hugely successful pedestrian malls in their downtown core – St. Augustine, Florida and Boulder, Colorado. During the 1960s and 70s, pedestrian malls were seen as a possible … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, Advocacy, architecture, art, bicycling, Biking, branding, cities, civics, coffee shops/cafes, colleges, commerce, Cuisine, culture, density, downtown, economic development, entertainment, Food, fun, geography, historic preservation, history, Housing, infrastructure, land use, landscape architecture, Maps, pictures, placemaking, planning, shopping, spatial design, third places, tourism, traffic, transit, transportation, Travel, urban planning, walking, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Combating the bus transit snobs

Posted on March 15, 2017 by

In the years preceding our move from Greater Lansing to Traverse City, there were lengthy discussions on developing some form of enhanced transit along the primary corridor in the region – Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA) Route 1 which extends … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, Advocacy, Bus transportation, civics, demographics, environment, geography, health, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, placemaking, planning, social equity, spatial design, transit, transportation, urban planning | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Building a peaceful community with good planning

Posted on July 22, 2016 by

Building a peaceful community does not just result from how we treat one another (see previous post), but can be literally develop based on how we design our communities and allocate funding. The days of the “wrong side of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, Advocacy, airports, Alternative transportation, architecture, Bus transportation, Cars, cities, civics, civility, climate change, commerce, culture, diversity, economic development, environment, gentrification, geography, health, historic preservation, history, homelessness, Housing, humanity, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, Love, new urbanism, peace, placemaking, planning, pollution, poverty, rail, revitalization, social equity, spatial design, sprawl, sustainability, third places, traffic, transit, transportation, Travel, urban planning, walking, zoning | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Portland Conundrum 

Posted on June 20, 2016 by

Below is an eye-opening summary of the housing market in Portland, Oregon from the perspective of a new resident to the region, who also happens to be an urban planner and a friend of mine. The parallels to what we … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, cities, civics, civility, climate change, culture, demographics, diversity, economic development, economics, environment, fitness, food systems, futurism, gentrification, geography, health, holiday, Housing, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, logistics, Maps, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, politics, revitalization, social equity, spatial design, sprawl, Statistics, sustainability, transit, transportation, urban planning, walking, zoning | 1 Comment

Canada is charting the course in “commuter commerce”

Posted on November 10, 2015 by

“Commuter commerce” may be a term you have never heard before, but if predictions are correct, it could be the next big growth area in digital shopping. Basically, commuter commerce means the purchasing of goods and services while one is … Continue reading →

Posted in Bus transportation, business, Canada, Cars, commerce, Communications, digital payment systems, futurism, infrastructure, marketing, Passenger rail, planning, rail, Railroads, shopping, Statistics, technology, Trade, transit, transportation, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

America’s original bicycling paradise

Posted on July 21, 2015 by

Numerous reports, stories, and studies tout Portland, Oregon; Boulder, Colorado; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Davis, California; and other communities in the United States as the most bikeable or bike-friendly. What they often overlook is the one and only community in the country … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, Advocacy, architecture, bicycling, bike sharing, Biking, cities, civics, commerce, culture, economic development, environment, fitness, fun, geography, health, hiking, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, North America, pictures, placemaking, planning, sailing, spatial design, States, Statistics, sustainability, third places, topography, tourism, traffic, trails, transit, transportation, Travel, urban planning, walking, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

When transportation becomes the destination

Posted on June 18, 2015 by

Now and then, a part of the transportation network becomes iconic in itself. In those cases, the infrastructure not only serves its intended purpose, but also becomes a focal point and source of community, regional, or even national pride, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, airports, architecture, bicycling, bridges, cities, civics, commerce, culture, economic development, geography, hiking, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, Passenger rail, placemaking, planning, product design, rail, rivers/watersheds, spatial design, tourism, Trade, traffic, trails, transit, transportation, Travel, tunnels | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments