Otis WhiteSince the 1980s, one of the most popular things that local gov’ts do is build pedestrian and #cycling trails. Along the way, the federal gov’t became a partner in this effort. Until now. Trump eliminated federal grants for trails. This has left local gov’ts searching for new ways of financing this desirable infrastructure. https://stateline.org/2026/03/12/bike-and-walking-trails-lose-hundreds-of-millions-under-trump/ #walkable
Want to walk like a New Yorker? Move to NYC: A university scientist wanted to measure how much the built environment encouraged or discouraged walking. So he analyzed cell phone data for millions of people in the U.S., including some who had relocated to more #walkable cities. Finding: Walking isn’t a result of motivation; it’s a product of urban design. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/moving-to-a-walkable-city-can-add-1-100-steps-to-your-day/
Ready for the next great urban battle? It may be about robot delivery of packages and the sidewalks they use to get from Point A to Point B … sidewalks that are often already congested. OK, city #DOTs: Isn’t it time to think about wider sidewalks or special street lanes for delivery? And how about some rules for robots? https://www.wbez.org/technology/2026/02/12/what-to-know-robot-delivery-in-chicago #walkable
There are two approaches to #advocacy. One is an inside-outside approach, where you work closely with decision-makers on improvements, as you build public support for the actions you are urging. The other is the shame approach, where you blast leaders for not doing more. Denver’s pedestrian and #cycling advocates have chosen option 2. https://denverite.com/2026/02/02/denver-mayor-transit-repord-card/ #walkable
Lyle Solla-YatesI don’t think I posted this when it was fresh, but if you share my affection for safe public space in Charlottesville, there is a sixteen page report about that here https://charlottesvilleva.portal.civicclerk.com/event/2027/files/attachment/5036 #cville #walkable #trees
Korawich KaveeWhat humans see with their eyes matter, and while you might not know any specialised lighting software, we at SALUS lab have created #SALUSLux a python package that could help designers avoid something like this crash.
See our paper in my Google Scholar.
And sign up for my professor talk here (The research, not this case particularly)
https://safety21.cmu.edu/event/smart-safety-connection-seminar-katherine-flanigan/
https://www.city-journal.org/article/los-angeles-streets-repaving-disability-rules “At the current pace, the city controller said, it would take 500 years to fix all the broken sidewalks in Los Angeles.” #LosAngeles #walkable #ADA #equity #BudgetsAreValuesDocuments #MaliciousCompliance #accessibility
Speed cameras slow traffic and make streets safer. They also attract opposition because demagogues portray them as local gov’t “cash grabs.” Dear mayors: Here’s the way out. Promise to spend every dime that the fines generate on making streets and roads safer for school children, pedestrians and cyclists. Then do it. https://ggwash.org/view/102005/what-the-politico-story-got-wrong-about-automated-traffic-enforcement-and-what-it-got-right #walkable #cycling #publicsafety
When something good happens, celebrate … and then study the success. The two most important things you should learn are why and how. S.F. is at last seeing a decline in pedestrian fatalities. Is this a sign of things working as intended? If it is sustained, what worked, why did it work, and how can we replicate this success? https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/2026/pedestrian-fatalities-sf-california/ #walkable #publicsafety
AmgineRE: https://urbanists.social/@straphanger/115883803217175278
#Montréal is discovering what #Vancouver learned: making the city #walkable, #BikeFriendly is a win-win-win. The citizens are happier. The municipality gains functional improvements (note the trash pick up, not interfering with bus/auto traffic, and under that path are fibre optic/gas/water/sewer lines). And property values/rents on bike lanes go up.
Each of these increases revenues and/or reduces costs for the city.