Just returned from my trip to Ecuador (more on the Quito traffic situation soon), and the first thing I did this morning was head downtown for my usual routine. The one big change: The new bicycle corral appeared in my absence. From left to right is Rick Scarlet, James Radke, and yours truly. This corral [...]
Here are three pictures I took today. The cause of real transportation alternatives for all keeps moving forward in Springfield. Technorati Tags: bicycle advocacy, bicycle infrastructure, cycling, Transportation Planning, Urban Planning
Except that it’s not. Bicycling is really quite safe. But our culture has accepted a mythology of danger and fear. It is this mythology that I believe convinces Americans they need special facilities to ride their bicycles safely. I have stated many times on Carbon Trace that I admire the Dutch system. That system, as [...]
This article in USA Today set me to thinking. I could live in one of these communities. I would be especially interested if it were situated in Springfield’s urban core close to downtown. So, any Carbon Trace readers think this idea has possibilities? UPDATE: Join the local Pocket Neighborhood group on Facebook. Technorati Tags: bicycle [...]
The Springfield News-Leader published an article about The Link today. For more, check out my coverage. And you can always watch this video: Technorati Tags: bicycle advocacy, bicycle infrastructure, bicycle politics, cycling, Transportation Planning, Urban Planning
Last year I mentioned The Link — a proposed north-south route slated for bicycle/pedestrian/transit improvements for the purpose of, among other things, better connecting the urban greenways. The city planning department would like for you to ride/walk the route and give feedback. Just click here. You’ll find a nice .pdf map of the route, Yesterday, I rode the [...]
Joel Kotkin, writing on the NewGeography site, says that America’s biggest brain magnets are not the big coastal cities: “Indeed, college graduates, for the most part, are heading not to the big cities on the coasts, but to smaller, less dense and quite often Sun Belt cities.” His conclusion might seem written with Springfield in [...]
The web publication that I run for my multimedia journalism class begins its second semester. Last semester’s students got the ball rolling. This semester’s students will put Ozarks News Journal on the local news radar. I mention this because the first round of story assignments will include two that may be of interest to Carbon [...]
I haven’t really written much about this, but… I’m working on a certificate in urban planning at MSU. It’s roughly like getting an academic minor. (Recall, also, that I was a member of the transportation committee for the new Springfield Strategic Plan. More on this as the plan develops …) Anyway, it’s been fun so [...]
Grit In The Gears. Just how successful is the London bicycle hire program? A peak of 24,000 daily trips in the summer sounds very good to me. Symbolism In The Transit World: Helping You Find Your Way. For transit geeks Burning Man And The Metropolis. Oh, yeah. Gotta do this some day The Business Reasons For [...]
I was in Florida when the following news article was published in the Springfield News-Leader on 5 January: How Can We Attract Young Professionals? Here are the first few paragraphs: Expanding local trails, banning public smoking and confronting the city’s lack of diversity are ways for Springfield to attract and retain young professionals, according to a [...]
The following is a Q&A with Tim Rosenbury, of Butler Rosenbury & Partners, about the continued renovation 0f Park Central Square. I conducted this interview by e-mail last week. The .pdf files linked in the text were supplied by BR&P. CT: When does the final phase of renovation begin, and when will it be finished? Rosenbury: Construction [...]
File this under “well, duh”! It appears that urban sprawl has made us fatter (abstract): In this paper, we examine the effect of changes in population density—urban sprawl—between 1970 and 2000 on BMI and obesity of residents in metropolitan areas in the U.S. We address the possible endogeneity of population density by using a two-step [...]
I’ve made no attempt to hide my admiration for the Dutch bicycle system as I have been able to understand it from afar (with special thanks to Amsterdamize and A View From the Cycle Path). I simply think it cannot be translated into an American context. Perhaps I should refine that last thought. It could be translated; [...]
Springfieldians have great access to higher education. Take your pick: OTC, MSU, Drury, Evangel. Springfield is large enough, however, not to have the feel of college town similar to Columbia, Missouri. There’s nothing wrong with that. But there’s something terribly wrong with our ranking in College Destination Index published by the American Institute of Economic [...]
