Data: In rural America, mobile homes are heat traps
A new report from Headwaters Economics warns the dangers of extreme heat to rural residents, wrote Sarah Mellot of Daily Yonder. Extreme heat is often surrounded by urban issues exacerbated by pavement and tall buildings, but rural areas suffer from different challenges when heat waves attack. “Compared to urban residents, rural Americans are twice as […]
NYC: What Mamdani’s rivals can teach him about transport
Streetsblog NYC’s Sophia Lebowitz is receiving advice from candidates after Zoran Mamdani’s victory in the mayoral primary in New York City. Recognizing Mamdani’s traffic and pedestrian-friendly proposals (including free bus dishes and other bike lanes), Lebowitz says “there are areas where his platform can be made even stronger from a habitable road perspective, so that […]
Berkeley approves the “middle housing” ordinance
The city of Berkeley, which pioneered detached zoning as an exclusive tool in the early 20th century, is working to reverse decades of restrictions where multi-family development is limited. According to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle by Darrell Owens, Berkeley began allowing high-density apartments in the 2000s, but continued to limit them in […]
Universal Rental Support Case
In the conversation article, Alex Schwartz and Kirk McClure outline the potential benefits of universal rental assistance, arguing that high housing costs are not always associated with housing supply. According to the author, “Even a large injection of new homes is likely to result in rents for many households not reaching them, so they will […]
Office conversions for the 10 years this year are increasing every year
CBRE data shows that US office stocks have been dropped as some buildings have been converted to residential or other uses and others have been demolished. Joe Burns explains the trends in smart city dives. “Of the 58 markets tracked by CBRE, 12.8 million square feet of space is expected to be converted to other […]
Index measurements measure the effect of heat on pedestrian activity
A new study from MIT shows, of course, that high heat and humidity encourage people to choose to drive for travelling on foot or transport. As Christian Milneil explains in Streetsblog Mass, researchers calculate the effects of the “universal thermal climate index” (UTCI) and incorporate it into traditional thermal index measurements, such as wind speed […]
Opinion: Illinois Transportation Bill could revolutionize intercity travel
In a work by Streetsblog Chicago, Rick Harnish, executive director of the High Speed Rail Alliance, argues that the transport reform bill passed by the Illinois Legislature at the end of May could “set the stage for a potential revolution in US transport policy.” As Harnish explains, “Its main focus is restructuring and stabilizing transport […]
How bicycle friendly is your city?
How bicycle friendly is your city? Check out PeopleBikes’ latest city ratings. According to an article by Kea Wilson of Streetsblog USA, the report gives the Borough of Brooklyn, New York the top spot across the country with 73 points. “Last year’s top-ranked Minneapolis ranked second with 72 points, with Seattle (66), Queens’ newly ranked […]
Florida law could eliminate dedicated bus lanes
Tampa Bay Sunrunners, the area’s first rapid transport system, could lose some of their dedicated lanes, report Shawnamacquel of the Tampa Bay Times. Some state lawmakers argue that the bus doesn’t have enough ridership to guarantee dedicated lanes. Currently, the Florida Department of Transport is calling for new dedicated bus lanes to maintain 6,000 riders […]
We narrow down low-income tenants to rent
Despite being said to be a boom in apartment building, US tenants have barely eased due to high housing costs, reported Patrick Sisson of Bloomberg City Love. According to the Harvard University Housing Research Center’s annual Housing Housing Report, “Some tenants in the country face significant cost burdens have reached record levels. Today, 65% of […]