Another way to live

So I am one of “those” people.

Who am I you may ask. I am a completely car-free urban planner. No, I am not crazy and I am not a “tree hugger.” I do, however, believe in smart growth, walkable communities and mixed uses. In my line of work I am not alone in these beliefs but often when you dig a little deeper you find urban planners with these beliefs living the car dominated suburban “dream.” I like to practice what I preach so for the last three years I have been totally car-free living in northwest Washington, DC while working in Baltimore – approximately 40 miles from my home.

ICYMI: We all benefit from transit, and we should all pay for it (Baltimore Sun Editorial, 03/27/2013)

In case you missed it, we wanted to share this Baltimore Sun editorial, Higher gas tax needed to support transit, on the importance of supporting an efficient transit system.

 

KEY POINT– To suggest that spending on public transit is inherently wasteful is not only unfair but inaccurate. Maryland traffic congestion is already ranked among the worst in the nation. How much worse would it be if not for transit? A full bus may take 60 cars off the road, a full rail car 200.

Our view: Gas tax opponents are wrong to claim that spending more on public transit shortchanges motorists (or anyone else living in Maryland) March 27, 2013, BaltimoreSun.com

WalkUPs: A Real Estate Model for the 21st Century

“The market is flashing very large and very loud signals: ‘Build more walkable urban places,’” says Christopher B. Leinberger

For many decades urban and regional planners have chased the elusive “walkable community” much like the Holy Grail. From Radburn to Columbia to your local mixed use center, walkability has often been a planning goal, although rarely achieved. This is now changing. An emerging land use in the second decade of the 21st century are walkable urban places.

Postcard from the Colorado Front Range: Building transit as fast as they can

Historic Postcard of Colorado State Capitol, Denver, CO

“Build as much as we can, as fast as we can, until it’s all done!”

That’s the mantra of Colorado’s FasTracks program.

Postcard from Crested Butte: Bicycles as form and function

Crested Butte, COLORADO – This town is cited by many as a location where the sport of mountain biking began. It is also known as “the last great Colorado ski town.” True – but that tells only part of the story of this unique community nestled nearly 30 miles north of U.S. 50 deep in the Colorado Rockies. With a year-round population of just under 1,500 persons and an estimated seasonal population of more than double that number, it would be tempting to think of Crested Butte as “just another Colorado ski town.” That would be a mistaken impression since many, if not most, Colorado ski towns are auto-focused. That is clearly not the case in Crested Butte. The town is a model for how residents, planners and town officials can create and retain a human-scaled community where walking and bicycling are the main transportation choices for residents and visitors alike.