At the November 10, 2015 Republican presidential debate, candidate Rand Paul said that inequality in cities — the gap between the rich and poor — “seems to be worst in cities run by Democrats.” His comment received rousing applause from the audience, and much media attention.
It’s a Feature, not a Bug: Inequality in Liberal Cities More »
Most adults want to age in place; that is, grow older without the need to move from their home or community. As driving becomes a challenge, though, seniors can feel dependent upon others, or isolated and cut off from their friends or public services.
Walkability and Transit Mean Independence in Golden Years More »
I’m not the creator of the below video, but I found it randomly, recently, and it was created during my tenure as a consultant for Mobility Lab, a think tank funded by Arlington County government. We had been tasked with persuading DC metro commuters to take public transit rather than drive alone to work. The time period in which this video was produced felt like a special time in Arlington County, a small but influential and wealthy county in Northern Virginia just across the river from Washington, DC.. (in fact, the county makes up the bottom left portion of the diamond shape originally conceived as the boundaries for the nation’s capital).
American cities are experiencing a major transportation shift from car-centric policies to people-oriented streets, with increased bus and bike lanes, bike-sharing, and public spaces. A TransitCenter report credits local civic groups, city leadership, and transportation agencies for these lasting changes. The report recommends strategies for reinforcing such innovations, including political support and internal advocacy, acknowledging a societal move towards walkable urban areas and the need for continued local action to sustain this trend.
American Cities’ Biggest Transportation Innovation is Decidedly Low-Tech More »
With public-transit use riding a 58-year high of 10.8 billion trips last year, it only makes sense to ask: why? Technology may be partially responsible for public transit’s record ridership, but probably not in the way you think.
Transit’s Surprising Advantage is Sitting Right in your Pocket More »
Jeff Bezos’ $250 million purchase of The Washington Post in 2014 changed the direction of the newspaper in some fairly significant ways. Among them: The Posts’s focus became less local and more global, it began expanding digital access dramatically (promoted by the Kindle, of course), and started spending some serious cash on events. One of these events is the America Answers series.
Uber has fundamentally changed the taxi industry, but its biggest disruption may be yet to come. The ride-hailing company has invested in autonomous-vehicle research, and its CEO Travis Kalanick (pictured above) has indicated that consumers can expect a driverless Uber fleet by 2030.
Uber’s Plan for Self-Driving Cars Will Make its Taxi Disruption Look Quaint More »
The disparity between the “haves” and “have nots” is perhaps nowhere more striking than in New York City. One end of the economic spectrum is best symbolized by the array of new condominium skyscrapers reshaping the city’s skyline (top price, $95 million).
When ‘To Protect and Serve’ Becomes ‘To Shame and Ridicule’ More »
Dispersed, car dependent land use patters — sprawl for short — is more expensive for cities than a pattern of development favoring density. That’s the takeaway from a report by Smart Growth America.
New Research Reveals the Cost of Sprawl to Municipal Coffers More »
Washington D.C.-based shared-ride company Split was one of two transportation startups who participated in the Tech.Co Startup Competition last month, showing that Washington remains a prolific incubator of transportation-related startups, and that entrepreneurs believe there are additional transportation problems that need solving.
The deciding factor in Panasonic’s move of its North American headquarters from Secaucus, New Jersey to Newark was public transportation, according to Jim Reilly, Vice President of Corporate Communications.
Just as there are two Americas, there are two types of cyclists. First, there are the Cyclists with a capital “C,” clad in Lycra and obsessed with speed. These cyclists may spend upwards of $1,000 on a bike, are often male, and everything about them signals that cycling is not for us mortals. These adrenaline junkies consider traffic laws mere “suggestions.”
Slow Down! And Four Other Rules to Make People Love Cyclists More »
The conventional wisdom is that living in the city is much more expensive than living outside of it. Taxes, entertainment, and groceries all add up to a slightly higher cost of living in the city. Housing, though, is the expense that tips the scales decidedly in favor of the suburbs. Or does it?
Capital Bikeshare’s 2014 Member Survey indicates that even as Washington D.C.’s bikeshare service has grown by leaps and bounds, its users have become older, whiter, and wealthier.
The Good and the Bad of the Capital Bikeshare Member Survey More »
Sharing-economy companies like Uber, Lyft, and AirBnB continue to disrupt industries as they create services that are incredibly appealing to consumers. Whatever your opinion on these companies, the decision regarding if, and how much, they should be regulated is important. It will help determine the speed of technological innovation in the U.S. and the direction our economy takes.