In the Future Urban Bikers go Faster than Cars by Will Doig

Slowing down to move ahead... may seem strange but according to the author speed may be the next battleground for urban streets. In this article Doig writes about the growing movement to slow down traffic in cities. Doig cites several examples, one of which is “20′s Plenty for Us,” a movement to reduce London’s speed limit to 20 miles per hour. Rod King, the creator of the London campaign notes the many advantages to slowing down speeds including increased biking because roads aren’t so scary, the need for less infrastructure like speed bumps, better air quality, and improved public safety. Chuck Marohn, executive director of the nonprofit Strong Towns, has argued that the problem is that we make the mistake of building 45 mile-per-hour cities — places where we travel (usually by car) at a speed that’s somewhere in the murky middle.  Cities like Seattle, Washington, and New York are taking notice and slowing things down in the name of progress

Read the full article here.

Confessions of a Recovering Engineer by Charles Marohn

In this article, Engineer Charles Marohn explains why he changed his point of view about wider, faster and treeless roads and decided to start thinking about what people need to live better in cities. Marohn, a civil engineer spent many years taking highway standards and applying them to urban and suburban streets, and even county roads, until realizing that it not only didn’t make sense but it was actually killing people in the guise of safety.

Read the full article here.

The Wisdom of Crowds: The strange but extremely valuable science of how pedestrians behave in The Economist

Which way do you step if you are walking and another pedestrian is approaching from the opposite direction and it’s obvious that you two are about to collide? The answer depends on which part of the world you live in. According to Mehdi Moussaid of the Max Planck Institute in Berlin, this is a behaviour brought about by probabilities. More than any other way of getting around—such as being crushed into a train or stuck in a traffic jam—walking appears to offer freedom of choice. The reality is more complicated. Whether stepping aside to avoid a collision or following the person in front through a crowd or navigating busy streets, pedestrians are autonomous yet constrained by others.

Read the full article here.

In Madrid’s Heart, Park Blooms where a Freeway Once Blightedby Michael Kimmelman in The New York Times

All around the world, highways are being torn down and waterfronts reclaimed; decades of thinking about cars and cities reversed; new public spaces created responding to the need of people to enjoy more liveable cities. Madrid Río, a six mile long park built in a formerly neglected area in the middle of Spain’s capital city is a perfect example of this shift.
Built over four years and atop a complex network of tunnels dug to bury an intrusive highway, the park rejuvenates a long-lost stretch of the Manzanares River. Madrid Río knits together neighborhoods that the highway had once cut off from the city center.

Read the full article here.

Want to Foster Walking, Biking and Transit? You Need Good Parking Policy by Ben Fried in Streetsblog

“If your city aspires to make streets safe, improve the quality of transit, and foster bicycling, then your city needs a coherent parking policy”, writes Ben Fried.  The author highlights the findings of a recently released report by The Institute of Transportation and Development Policy – ITDP that provides a comprehensive review of the new wave of parking policy innovation that could pay huge dividends for sustainable transport and liveable streets. 
"There was a 35-year parking coma during which the federal government, cities, and environmentalists forgot why parking was important," said John Kaehny, who co-authored the report with Matthew Rufo and UPenn professor Rachel Weinberger. "This study shows people are starting to wake up and understand that parking is one of the most important influences on how cities work and what form of travel people choose to use."

Read the full article here.

Cities for People: A Q&A With Architect Jan Gehl by Greg Lindsay

8-80 Cities is tremendously excited to be working collaboratively with Gehl Architects on projects to transform public places. Here is a wonderful interview with Jan Gehl, the founder of this world renowned consultancy, also a professor and researcher on the human dimension in city planning for over 45 years. Jan is interviewed in NYC, a wonderful example of Gehl’s theories put to work with the recent reclaiming of streets for pedestrians and cyclists.

Read the full article here.

All Work and No Play: Why Your Kids are More Anxious, Depressed by Esther Entin in the Atlantic

Children need time for play…that may seem obvious but what may not be so obvious is that we have somehow engineered free play out of children’s lives. According to Professor Peter Gray, Ph.D in the department of Psychology at Boston College, children’s free time has been continually declining over the last fifty years, and it’s keeping them from turning into confident adults. Another reason to transform our cities into places where everyone, including children can walk, bike and play in great parks and public places!

Read the full article here.

Changwon: The Bicycle isn’t about “Saving the Planet” by Sociecity

8-80 Cities was proud to participate in the EcoMobility World Congress in Changwon last month. This article by Sociecity is a great summary of some of the themes explored at the Congress. Bernard Einsink, the Secretary General of the European Cyclists’ Federation delivered a wonderful presentation that highlighted the change in mindset happening in Germany. A staggering 80% of young Germans believe that people don’t need a private car anymore. Einsink argues that although the “eco-conscious” wave might have helped us get here, in the end it’s not only about saving the planet, not about less CO2 emissions, not about global warming; it’s about a better quality of life for every human being, and the cities and transportation methods necessary to achieve that quality of life.

Read the full article here.

The Benefits of Parks: Why America Needs More City Parks and Open Space by Paul Sherer of the Trust for Public Land

Will Rogers, the President of the Trust for Public Land writes, “The emergence of America as an urban nation was anticipated by Frederick Law Olmsted and other 19th-century park visionaries, who gave us New York’s Central Park, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, and similar grand parks in cities across the nation… In the view of these park visionaries, parks were not “amenities.” They were necessities, providing recreation, inspiration, and essential respite from the city’s blare and bustle. And the visionaries were particularly concerned that parks be available to all of a city’s residents-especially those who did not have the resources to escape to the countryside.” Sherer build on this message and makes a strong case for the benefits of parks, particularly for low income neighbourhoods and recent immigrants who are especially short of park space. The report outlines the public health, economic, environmental and social benefits of city parks.

Read the full article here.

Cycling Mobility’s Portrait of Gil Penalosa by Marty McLennan

8-80 Cities’ Executive Director Gil Penalosa was profiled in Cycling Mobility magazine. The article is able to capture Gil’s legendary enthusiasm- quite a feat by the author Martin Maclennan. The article highlights the achievements Gil has made internationally, specifically the tremendous impact that was made while he was the commissioner of Parks and Recreation in Bogota. Now Gil is exporting all of those successes around the world.

Read the full article here.

Design With, Instead of for, the other 90% by Allison Arieff of the Atlantic Cities

Arieff writes about a new exhibit at the United Nations in New York entitled “Design with the other 90%: CITIES” which explores approaches to socially responsible design in developing countries. The exhibit was first launched in 2007 and in its first incarnation was entitled “Design for the Other 90%: CITIES” and focused on design solutions for the 90 percent of the world's population not traditionally serviced by the professional design community. As Arieff writes, “the seemingly subtle shift from [design] for to [design] with is not at all inconsequentiall.” This article highlights a recent shift in the design community towards a more collaborative and context sensitive approach.

Read the full article here.

Europe's Vibrant New Low Car(bon) Communities by Nicole Foletta and Simon Field of ITDP

The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) Europe investigated eight communities across Europe that have successfully used smart urban and transportation planning and design, to produce lower car ownership rates and less driving than nearby developments of comparable sizes and age. As a result these communities have less pollution, public health issues and other negative externalities associated with driving. These new developments use a combination of “push” measures to discourage private car use and “pull” measures to improve the attractiveness of walking, cycling, transit and various forms of shared vehicle use. As the report demonstrates, these measures work, and could be applied in other new developments around the world.  

Read the full article here.

RENEWing LA Through CicLAvia by Joel Epstein

8-80 Cities is thrilled to feature this article about Los Angeles’ Open Street program- the CicLAvia in this month’s newsletter. The organizers of the CicLAvia attended our international workshop on Ciclovias/Open Streets in Guadalajara in 2010 and have been off and running ever since. In this article Epstein writes that the CicLAvia is “demonstrating to Angelenos and the rest of the world how this bloated, increasingly overweight and sprawling city isn't just for cars and doesn't have to be.” If LA can do it so can your city!

Read the full article here.

The New York City Privately Owned Public Space Project by Jerold S. Kayden, Richard Barth, Philip Schneider, Edith Hsu-Chen, Patrick Too, and Ellen P. Ryan.

The recent Occupy Wall Street demonstrations have put a spotlight on New York City’s privately owned public spaces (POPs) where demonstrators have been camped out and dialogue on the role of and types of uses “permitted” in the these public spaces has been re-awakened. Since 1961 New York City developers have been building plazas, gallerias, arcades and other public spaces in exchange for lucrative density bonuses under provisions of the city’s zoning code. From the outset, critics questioned the value of the public amenities that were provided, and despite numerous revisions to the zoning, the public spaces have remained controversial. We thought it would be to interesting to feature in this month’s newsletter research conducted several years ago by Harvard University, NYC Department of City Planning and Municipal Art Society of New York that is seemingly just as pertinent today on what has been called the world’s most expensive public space.   

Read the full article here.

Bicycling in Quebec in 2010 by Vélo Québec

Québec has built a cycling culture that is unique in North America. Despite bitterly cold winters more than half the adult population cycles, and more than a third do so once a week. This is not because Quebecers are crazy, the province, in collaboration with local non-profit organization Vélo Québec has made a concerted effort to encourage cycling as a mode of transportation while also supporting the recreational aspects of cycling. In five years, Québec’s cycling network has grown by almost 36%. In ten years it has almost doubled. It now covers more than 9000 km. In Montréal, there has been a 10% increase in cycling since 2005. This increase comes on the heels of the development of 160 km of bikeways – especially downtown –, BIXI’s arrival, and many ad hoc measures, such as adding cyclist-priority traffic lights.

Read the full article here.

Walk Appeal - Market WatchWalk appeal-Home in walkable neighbopurhoods sell for more:study by Amy Hoak of Market Watch

Featured in Market Watch in 2009, this article highlights the landmark study released that same year by CEO’s for Cities which demonstrated that homes located within walking distance of amenities such as schools, parks and shopping sell for more money. It was the first study that \ put a dollar value on walkability. In the article, Carol Colletta, the president of CEO’s for Cities remarks, “They [the findings] tell us that if urban leaders are intentional about developing and redeveloping their cities to make them more walkable, it will not only enhance the local tax base but will also contribute to individual wealth by increasing the value of what is, for most people, their biggest asset."

Play Matters: A study of best practices to inform local policy and process in support of children's play by Kaboom!

Children playing outside—in spaces dedicated for play or not—signify a vibrant, healthy community. Unfortuately, as the authors note, the “active, free-range child of early and mid-century America has gradually become a couch potato” and as children become more sedentary, the loss of play has serious consequences for health, education, and community development. This report describes several successful local initiatives to improve opportunities for play and draws conclusions about why they have worked.  This report also identifies emerging data linking play initiatives to positive outcomes in health, education, the environment, and the economy.

Recapturing Global Leadership in Bus Rapid Transit by ITDP

Bus Rapid Transit was first implemented in Curitiba, Brazil in 1974, and has become a global phenomenon in the twenty-first century. Major new BRT projects have opened since the turn of the century in Africa, Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Mexico, Turkey, several cities in Europe, and dozens of cities in Latin America. The flexibility and cost effectiveness of Bus Rapid Transit make it an excellent choice for cities and transit agencies facing both increasing demand for transit and increasingly constrained budgets. Can BRT transform American cities like it has so many others around the world? The authors of the report argue that it can, but standards for what constitutes BRT best practice must be established.   

CITYING. Like it! by Anna Ruminska

Anna Ruminska of the EMSA Education Initiative, an organization that promotes non-formal education in architecture, public space, and cultural anthropology writes about the simple act of “CITYING” a playful word that describes our desire to sit in cities. Ruminska promotes the idea that architects should design in a way that enables people to sit and watch other people, including creating designs that allow people to sit on the architecture itself and in more informal ways, without the need for additional city furniture. The article also describes the different groups that tend to use different “seats” available in the city environment, including tourists, older adults, youth, and people of different social status.

Despite critics, Vancouver will keep its cycle tracks by Philip Langdon

The "Greenest City Action Plan" of Vancouver, British Columbia, calls for 50 percent of all trips in the 640,000-population city to be by foot, bike, or transit by 2020 — a substantial increase from the current share, which is approximately 40 percent. In order to increase their cycling share the city has invested in separated cycling lanes or “cycle tracks” in the downtown. The new cycling facilities have been met with some controversy but also with number of positive results including; an increase in the number of cyclists, a larger share of women cycling, and a decrease in the number of collisions.

Champion of Cities by Meryl Gordon of the Wall Street Journal

Gordon writes a profile of a powerful force at the City of New York- Amanda Burden, the Commissioner of Planning. Burden has moved quickly upon taking over as director in 2002, focusing on creating more lively attractive streets and public spaces. Informed by the work of William “Holly” Whyte, the renowned urbanologist who examined city behaviour and inspired by cities from around the world, Burden is spearheading the rezoning of nearly a quarter of New York City and transforming its waterfront.  One of her most visible successes has been helping to preserve the High Line- an abandoned railroad track that has been transformed into a popular tourist destination in the once-gritty meatpacking neighbourhood. 

Vishaan Chakrabarti, professor of real-estate development at Columbia University and a former staffer says of Burden “...she is a leader of a movement that says we can have a lot of economic growth in cities but also couple that with liveability and neighbourhood preservation."

Good Cities for Walking by Jan Gehl

The much celebrated Danish architect Jan Gehl, an expert on creating cities for people, writes about some key observations about the quality of pedestrian environments and how it affects human behaviour. According to Gehl some of the key elements for creating good environments for walking are; functionality all year round-day and night, quality surfaces, no obstacles and/or too many interruptions such as stairs, and overall comfortable dimensions coupled with visual interest.

Effect of 20 mph traffic speed zones on road injuries in London by Chris Grundy et al. in the British Medical Journal

Road injuries are among the leading causes of mortality and disability worldwide, disproportionately borne by poor pedestrians, particularly children and young adults.  Chris Grundy and his colleagues from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine investigate the effect of 20 mph (32 kph) speed zones on road casualties in London. They found that the introduction of 20 mph zones was associated with a 41.9% reduction in road casualties and that the percentage reduction was greatest in younger children and greater for the category of killed or seriously injured. In addition the researchers found that the areas adjacent to 20 mph zones, also had a reduction in casualties (8%) suggesting that there was no casualty migration to nearby roads.   

From Fitness Zones to the Medical Mile: How Urban Park Systems Can Best Promote Health and Wellness by Peter Harnicke

This report from the Trust for Public Land, details more than 75 innovative features and programs-including 14 case studies-that maximize a park's ability to promote physical activity and improve mental health. The report documents the major factors that stimulate public use of city parks, including: programming of sports and exercise; a reduction of automobile traffic within parks to help promote running, walking, cycling and skating; an improvement in signage to assist with wayfinding and to promote safety; the design of parks and trails to serve multiple purposeful functions in people's day-to-day lives; and an increase in partnerships between park agencies and medical offices.

America Needs Complete Streets by Dan Burden and Todd Littman

An aging population, rising fuel costs, congestion, health, and environmental concerns and changing consumer preferences are all increasing demand for walking, cycling, and public transit. In this article, the authors make a compelling case for the adoption of complete streets policies across the United States as a measure to help direct important transportation dollars towards streets that support a broader range of social, environmental, and community building goals while improving accessibility for all.

Active Design Guideline: Promoting Physical Activity and Health in Design By: City of New York

This insightful manual produced as collaborative effort of the City of New York’s department of Design and Construction (DDC), Health and Mental Hygiene, Transportation (DOT), and City Planning, embodies the vision of NYC’s desire to transform itself into a more liveable and hospitable city. These guidelines are aimed at educating designers on their role in combating obesity and chronic disease. Simple cost-effective solutions are presented, including making stairs more visible in our buildings and providing inviting streetscapes for pedestrians and bicyclists. 

A Citizen's Guide to Better Streets: How to Engage Your Transportation Agency By: Gary Toth with Herman Volk (The Victoria Tranport Policy Institute)

Streets are often the largest public space in any city. While over the last 50 years transportation agencies have focused on moving car traffic, there is increasing demand from communities to re-examine the role of our streets. Project for Public Spaces (PPS) provides an empowering must-read document for anyone interested in transforming streets into great places for everyone. Gary Toth, a former New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) employee outlines how to establish a productive relationship with your DOT by advocating partnership and collaboration. In addition, Toth explains the technical and regulatory processes that shape how DOTs make decisions and offers advice on how to deal with governmental bureaucracies, transportation planning processes and issues of liability.

Social Equity Agenda for Sustainable Transportation By:Todd Litman and Marc Brenman

This report by the Victoria Transport Policy Institute focuses on the importance of including social equity and environmental justice into transport policy and planning analysis. It provides a comprehensive and systematic framework that highlights an often overlooked reality- “that many people still suffer inequities in their ability to access public services and economic opportunities”. The authors deliver many practical recommendations that seek to build broader coalitions among those who desire a more sustainable and equitable transportation system.

The Great Bicycle Protest of 1896 By Hank Chapot

Ever heard “the roads were made and built for cars” well that’s not entirely accurate. Be transported back to late 19th century San Francisco to the genesis of popular movements for good roads. Hank Chapot delivers a great account of “The Great Bicycle Protest” that took place on the streets of San Francisco in 1896 and the unintended consequences that the popular movement had both locally and nationally. Learn how the demand for good roads by early bicyclists can help those currently engaged in popular movements fighting for the same cause.

What Makes a Canadian Community Great? By: Siri Agrell (The Globe and Mail)

By interviewing people making a difference in their communities across Canada, Siri Agrell attempts to answer the question: what makes a Canadian community great?  Agrell writes “Turns out people who brag about their neighbourhoods today talk about a place where people know one another, where they are loved. These are places, we are told, where you can walk to the bookstore and the grocery store, to your kid’s school and your own office. These are places where green space is not just found around the large ‘P’ marking the nearest multistory parking lot, but where a connection to nature is part of the urban plan.” This is great read for anyone interested in community-building Canadian or otherwise.

Solving the Epidemic of Preventable Pedestrian Deaths by T4 America

In the last decade, from 2000 through 2009, more than 47,700 pedestrians were killed in the United States, the equivalent of a jumbo jet full of passengers crashing roughly every month. On top of that, more than 688,000 pedestrians were injured over the decade, a number equivalent to a pedestrian being struck by a car or truck every 7 minutes. Yet state departments of transportation have largely ignored pedestrian safety from a budgetary perspective, allocating only about 1.5 percent of available federal funds to projects that retrofit dangerous roads or create safe alternatives. Children, older adults, and racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionately represented in pedestrian collisions, but people of all ages and all walks of life have been struck down in the simple act of walking. In this article, Transportation for America makes the case that improving pedestrian safety should be a priority of the federal government and provides specific recommendations for provisions in the next federal transportation spending bill.

Child Friendly Transportation Checklist by CATCH

CATCH (Community Action Toward Children’s Health) is a coalition of community members, agencies, and local government who work together to promote the health and well being of young children ages 0-6 in the Central Okanagan area of British Columbia. Through several community conversations and focus groups CATCH found that safe and accessible transportation was one of the areas identified as a priority for young children and families. As a result, the organization launched their Child Friendly Transportation Toolkit which includes a check list that can be used as a self-assessment tool to help identify important transportation issues in any community or municipality.

Expanding bike programs makes sense in a time of shrinking budgets and soaring gas prices by Jay Walljasper

Jay Walljasper writes about the need to create a transportation system that will not be held hostage by volatile fuel prices. Millions of Americans suffer when prices at the pump rise, because they have no alternative to driving almost everywhere they go. Government programs to boost the number of trips made on foot and bike are much more cost effective than infrastructure improvements for vehicles. According to former House of Representative Transportation chairman Jim Oberstar, a mile of new urban freeway costs $46-100 million while a mile of 12-foot-wide bikeway costs just $125,000. Walljasper argues that Republican and Democrats alike should support these policies that promote walking and cycling as patriotic, fiscally responsible and forward-looking.

How the Travel Patterns of Older Adults are Changing by Jana Lynott and Carlos Figueiredo, AARP Public Policy Institute

This analysis of the 2009 National Household Travel Survey found that older adults in the United States comprise an increasing share of the nation’s travel. Although individuals are traveling less, particularly in private vehicles, public transportation use is up. Older men are more mobile than older women; however, the gap has been narrowing. The number of older non-drivers has grown by more than 1.1 million between 2001 and 2009. To accommodate the mobility needs of an aging population, the AARP recommends that the focus of transportation planning and policy must shift from increasing road capacity to providing more multi-modal solutions. The authors suggest that investments are needed in Complete Streets, older driver safety measures, volunteer driver programs, public and specialized transportation, and implementation of the CLASS program.

Workplace Cited as the New Source of Rise in Obesity by Tara Parker-Pope (New York Times)

A group of researchers have put new emphasis on declining workplace activity as one of the culprits of rising obesity in the United States. The report shows that in 1960, one out of two Americans had a job that was physically active. Now it is estimated that only one in five Americans achieves a relatively high level of physical activity at work. The research represents a major shift in thinking, and it suggests that health care professionals and others on the front lines against obesity, who for years have focused primarily on eating habits and physical activity at home and during leisure time, have missed a key contributor to America’s weight problem. The findings also put pressure on employers to step up workplace heath initiatives and pay more attention to physical activity at work. Also, it is a great argument for encouraging people to get their physical activity on their way to work, with a nice walk or bike ride!

Broadway Is Busy, With Pedestrians, if Not Car Traffic & Not So Broadway

Under Mayor Bloomberg’s administration, Broadway has been transformed from a grand avenue that ferried automobiles on a scenic route through Midtown to a narrow passageway with barely more room for cars than a sleepy street in Greenwich Village. In as little as two years, the city has transformed Broadway making the street more palatable to pedestrians and bicyclists, improving traffic and accommodating thousands of more people. In some spots, automobile traffic has dropped by one third, and dozens of parking spaces are gone and replaced by bicycle lanes and pedestrian picnic areas making Broadway more of a local street with increased access.

Ciclovia Implementation and Advocacy Manual (English)

This manual consists of a basic guide to the steps and processes considered essential for the planning and implementation of Ciclovías Recreativas.  It includes the following sections:

• Phases of planning, development, and execution.
• Tools to help evaluate and advocate for Ciclovía Recreativa, taken from the public health and transportation engineering sectors.
• Annex of advocacy and evaluation documents for the Ciclovía Recreativa
  
  

Manual para Implementar y Promocionar la Ciclovía Recreativa

Este manual consiste en una guía básica didáctica y práctica sobre los pasos y procesos que se consideran convenientes y esenciales para la planeación e implementación de Ciclovías Recreativas. Incluye las siguientes secciones:

• Fases de planeación, desarrollo y ejecución.
• Herramientas para evaluar y promocionar la Ciclovía Recreativa.
• Documentos anexos para promocionar y evaluar la Ciclovía Recreativa.
  
  

Pedestrians' Quality Needs by Rob Methorst, Hector Monterde i Bort, Ralf Risser, Daniel Sauter, Miles Tight and Jim Walker

Humans are meant to walk. Yet walking is such a basic way of travelling that it is easy to forget its importance. While almost everyone agrees that it is important to have pedestrian facilities, few politicians give it priority. The Pedestrians' Quality Needs Project (PQN) was established to innovate policy development thinking and to show how policy could be developed to address the needs of pedestrians. The documents sets out specific recommendations for professionals and policy makers on all levels – from small communities, to larger cities right to the national and international government levels.

Shasta Living Streets: Seven Reasons Why

Open Street programs/ Ciclovias are taking off all over the world. Cities everywhere are realizing the amazing benefits of opening the streets up to people and closing them to cars. Shasta Living Streets, based in Redding California have put together a great document explaining the seven reasons why they initiated such a program. It’s a great resource for any community looking to initiate their own open street program. 

The 12 Attributes of Bikeway Networks by Paul-Andre Larose

Our friend Paul-Andre Larose has put together a fantastic list of attributes necessary for a successful bikeway network. Bikeway networks must be Functional, Safe, Secure, Direct, Gap-free, Conflict-free, Extensive, Unrestricted, Weather-Immune, Integrative, Beautifying and Appropriate.  

Sustainable urban development: The right and access to the city reflected in
quality urban public spaces by UN-HABITAT.

For the first time in history the United Nations' Human Settlements Program (UN-HABITAT) has adopted a resolution formally recognizing the role public spaces that are green, safe and socially inclusive, play in sustainable urban development. The resolution calls upon governments to implement urban environmental planning, regulation, and management that fosters the development of quality urban public spaces and advances the agenda on place-making in cities. 

Bicycling Renaissance in North America? An Update and Re-Appraisal of Cycling Trends and Policies by John Pucher, Ralph Buehler, and Mark Seinen

The short answer to the question posed in the title of this article is: Yes! The authors provide evidence that a bicycling renaissance has indeed been underway in North America in the last few decades. While cycling levels in both Canada and the USA as a whole have increased, the greatest growth in cycling is concentrated in central cities. The trends in nine large cities (Chicago, New York, Portland, San Francisco, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Minneapolis and Washington) are analyzed as case studies. While some cities have been more successful than others, it is not surprising that the cities with the most comprehensive package of infrastructure, policies and programs for cycling have raised cycling levels by the largest margin.

These feet are made for walking by Ben Rossiter

Ben Rossiter, Executive Officer of Victoria Walks in Australia writes about the importance of encouraging children’s “footsteps and laughter” on our streets. Like many other countries around the world Australia is dealing with a burgeoning obesity epidemic, with costs to the economy at an estimated $37.7 billion. Creating environments that support walking in everyday life offers one of the greatest opportunities to increasing physical activity and creating healthier communities.

High Level Bus Rapid Transit Systems: An option to consider even at high demand levels by Dario Hidalgo, PhD

Busways, Light Rail Transit (LRT), Metro, and High-level Bus Rapid Transit (HBRT) - what do they all mean and how do they compare? Prepared for the International Association of Public Transport, this presentation provides a comprehensive analysis of cost vs. capacities of the various transit options. The results are pretty clear, high-level BRTs can move a high capacity of passengers at a fraction of the cost of other modes.   

Fertile Ground for New Thinking: Improving Toronto's Parks by David Harvey

This paper examines challenges and opportunities for enhancing and expanding parks in the City of Toronto. Like many large cities, Toronto’s parks have suffered in a climate of fiscal and organizational constraints. Harvey outlines some practical solutions for improving the way we manage our parks, making full use of the community’s energy, ideas, and funding. These recommendations would be useful for any city wanting to leverage scarce resources to improve their parks.

Sustaining Seattle's Parks: A Study of Alternative Strategies to Support Operations and Maintenance of a Great Urban Parks System by Tom Buyers and Ken Bounds

This report examines the factors contributing to Seattle’s current funding crisis for parks and lays out innovative strategies for sustaining a park system under a substantial budget shortfall.  These strategies would be useful for any city looking to achieve standards of excellence in protecting and enhancing parks in the midst of financial pressures.

Surprise: Big Old New York City is the Cutting Edge for Urban Transportation and a Vision for a Sustainable Future by Don Hazen

New York City: a cutting-edge innovator in transportation and the future of open space? How? Hazen explains that the answer lies in a certain Janette Sadik-Khan. In three years as NYC’s Transportation Commissioner Sadik-Khan has overseen the building of hundreds of miles of innovative bike lanes; she's turned traffic-clogged streets like parts of Broadway into vibrant public spaces; she has secured huge grants from the Feds to improve bus service, and perhaps most importantly made the streets safer than they have been in many decades.

NACTO Urban Bikeway Design Guide

The NACTO Urban Bikeway Design Guide is based on the experience of the best cycling cities in the world. The designs in this document were developed by cities for cities, since unique urban streets require innovative solutions. The guidelines can be used as a standalone document or as a supplement to other planning publications to understand what a bike-friendly city looks like and use it to promote bicycle transportation. The standards outlined in the guide are state-of-the-art and focus on street facilities such as bike lanes, cycle tracks, intersections, signals and signs & markings.

What Makes a Successful Place? by Project for Public Space

Great public spaces are the lifeblood of any city, but why do some succeed and others fail?  In evaluating thousands of public spaces around the world, the Project for Public Spaces (PPS), a non-profit organization based in New York City, has found that successful ones have four key qualities: they are accessible; people are engaged in activities there; the space is comfortable and has a good image; and finally, it is a sociable place: one where people meet each other and take people when they come to visit.

Parking, People and Cities by Michael Manville and Donald Shoup

There is clearly no fundamental human right to cheap and convenient parking, but then why do cities devote so much of their land space to the storage of cars? In this study, Manville and Shoup examine how off-street parking requirements affect urban form. While much research has focused on the negative impacts of car-oriented development on city streets, the authors demonstrate that an oversupply of off-street parking plays a significant role in worsening traffic congestion and inhibiting street life.

Intelligent Transport by Randy Salzman

The data’s overwhelming: for the USA to address greenhouse emissions, something must be done about the effect of individual transportation by the nation’s 300m citizens. But what? Unless America pushes all remaining manufacturing out of the country, along with the best-paying blue collar jobs, and grounds the airlines, individual transportation behaviour is the key to American greenhouse reductions.

Noncommunicable Diseases and Obesity: Closing Statement by Dr. Margaret Chan, Director General of the World Health Organization, 25 February 2011, Mexico City

On February 25th, 2011, Dr. Margaret Chan, the Director-General of the World Health Organization issued words of advice and stimulus to delegates from around the world as closing remarks to the Regional High-level Consultation of the Americas on Noncommunicable Diseases and Obesity. Dr. Margaret Chan expressed inadequate policy is responsible for obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer among other diseases. She strongly emphasized intersectoral action especially the participation of non-health sectors and putting preventive measures within reach of the poor.

10 Principles for Transport in Urban Life
The successful city of the 21st Century will be replete with choices, including non-motorized, post-fossil fuel travel options. Citizens of the world do not want to sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic; they do not want to walk in mud; nor feel threatened on a simple bike ride to work. They want to be in cities that provide creative interaction, affordable living, and healthy movement. Cities that can meet the challenge of sustainability will leap ahead of others by attracting people who demand a healthy and culturally-rich city. ITDP (Institute for Transportation & Development Policy), the world-renowned Danish firm Gehl Architechts, and Nelson/Nygaard have teamed up to come up with a gorgeous and informative document with great concepts written in an easy to understand format which makes it ideal to share with stakeholders that are collaborating to create better cities. The principles outlined here are intended as inspiration to improve the quality of life in cities today while ensuring their viability tomorrow.

The Value of Urban Design: the economic, environmental and social benefits of urban design
The Value of Urban Design aims to establish whether there is a persuasive case for urban design – the design of the buildings, places, spaces, and networks (both public and private) that make up our towns and cities, and the ways in which people use them. Is there a value to be gained through good urban design? What kinds of value does it offer, and how can New Zealand’s towns and cities benefit? The Value of Urban Design examines international evidence relating to eight core elements of urban design: connectivity, density, mixed-use, adaptability, high-quality of public realm, integrated decision-making, user participation.

Olmstead's Ideas Could Help Solve our Real Estate Mess
More than 150 years ago, America’s greatest landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmstead, created Central Park and changed New York forever. He went on to transform dozens of cities more, leaving a priceless legacy of vibrant, beautiful cityscapes. And, in the process, he increased property values. Today we must act again to transform our cities. The same kind of transformative wave that Olmstead pioneered could help save our real estate mess.

Gendered Cities: Built and Physical Environments
This study demonstrates how a gender-sensitive built environment would integrate the economies of unpaid work in the home with paid work outside the home. The paper illustrates how transportation, economic development, mobility and safety, and the interface of the natural and built environment, key functions of urban centers, fail the many diverse women residents of cities. City planning whether in terms of physical planning, provision of social services, or economic development, has often failed to understand the intersection of the multiple forces of race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexuality, religion, language, disability, etc. on city residents.

Portland's not Perfect, but Offers Bright Ideas for Making Biking Mainstream
It might be cliché, but clichés are often found to have some truth. Portland, the U.S.A.'s most liveable city has 314 miles of bikeways while still effectively sharing the road with automobiles. A 20-year effort has made this cohesion more secure and comfortable for bike-riders - taking the fear out of biking. An analysis shows the affordability of bike transportation for the city versus car transportation while still pumping the local economies with profits. By spending less time on the highways and less money on gas, Portlanders have more of both to spend at local businesses.

Janette Sadik-Khan: Urban Reengineer - The new city of the future
A poetic profile of NYC's Commissioner of the Department of Transportation looks at how Janette Sadik-Khan makes things happen in one of the world's most urbanized cities. Three years ago no New Yorker would believe the transformation the city has gone through to reprioritize the pedestrian, cycle and most importantly public space.

Finding New Ways to Flaunt their Status - The Economist
Sometimes reflected in our communities and urban centres, the market encourages status-conscious consumerism; consumption remains partly about pleasure, partly about status. Society continues to nourish the increase in our global footprint as we seek out status items that are more exotic, more glamourous and more originally unoriginal.

How to 'Thrive': Dan Buettner's Secret to Happiness
Writer and explorer Dan Buettner has spent his life traveling the world in search of answers. His early life consisted of trekking throughout the world on a bicycle, covering thousands of miles in Africa, Asia, South America and beyond. His travels around the world (and on assignment for National Geographic) inspired him to discover and name the globe's "blue zones," the countries and societies with the longest life expectancy, the greatest happiness and other strengths. His first book to come out of this research was 2008's The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest, a prescription for life extension that became an international best-seller. Now, Buettner is back with a new book, Thrive, which focuses on happiness in the "blue zones," and how everyone can attain a better quality of life by following the happiest countries' examples.

World Health Organization's Recommendations on Marketing Food to Children
Today’s food environment is markedly to that experienced by previous generations. Globally, an extensive variety of food and drink products are now available in most markets, offering palatability, convenience and novelty. But at the same time, the wide availability and heavy marketing of many of these products, and especially those with a high content of fat, sugar or salt, challenge efforts to eat healthily and maintain a healthy weight, particularly in children. Efforts must be made to ensure that children everywhere are protected against the impact of such marketing and given the opportunity to grow and develop in an enabling food environment — one that fosters and encourages healthy dietary choices and promotes the maintenance of healthy weight.

A Comparative Analysis of Park Access in Seven Major Cities: No Place to Play
Close your eyes and picture a happy memory from your childhood. Whether you’re playing with friends, enjoying a picnic with your family, or sitting on a bench basking in the sunshine of a warm afternoon, there’s a good chance you’re imagining something that involved a public park.
And that’s no surprise. Kids love parks. And kids need parks…to get fresh air, exercise, and just to enjoy the outdoors with friends and family.

Complete Streets for Toronto: Promoting Health through Active Transportation
We’re sorry, the article “Complete Streets for Toronto: Promoting Health through Active Transportation” by Dr. Henry Moller, is no longer available. The article is currently under review and will be available through the City of Toronto when the final draft is released.

Deadliest for Walkers: Male Drivers, Left Turns
By Michael M. Grynbaum
New York City’s transportation planners offers unusual insights into the precarious life on the city’s streets, pinpointing where, when and why pedestrian accidents have most often occurred. The study confirms some of the century-old assumptions about transportation in the country’s biggest city, yet it undercuts others.

Cycling in New York: Innovative Policies at the Urban Frontier by Pucher et al., 2010
New York has made impressive progress at improving cycling conditions and raising cycling levels in recent years, especially in Brooklyn and Manhattan. The number of bike trips has almost doubled since 2000, thanks to vastly expanded cycling infrastructure, including innovative treatments such as cycle tracks, buffered bikes lanes, special bike signals, bike boxes at intersections, and bright green lane markings. Cycling safety has improved, with steady or declining number of cyclists’ injuries and fatalities in spite of rapidly rising cycling volumes. Some serious deficiencies remain, however. Integration of bicycling with public transport is almost non-existent. There is not nearly enough bike parking, and virtually no secure bike parking at all. Moreover, the police and courts in New York have failed to enforce the many traffic laws intended to protect cyclists. Comprehensive traffic calming is needed in New York's residential neighbourhoods to reduce travel speeds and thus encourage more cycling, in particular, by children, seniors, and women. Cycling has come a long way in New York, but it still has a long way to go before it becomes a mainstream way to get around.

The New York City Pedestrian Safety Study & Action Plan
-NYC Department of Transportation, 2010
NYC Department of Transportation undertook an extensive study of pedestrian safety and produced an unprecedented Pedestrian Safety Action Plan. This report examines five years of data about traffic crashes that have caused serious injuries or fatalities to pedestrians, and identifies underlying causes that can be addressed to reduce these crashes. Mayor Bloomberg has recognized the urgency of reaching this goal; as stated in Sustainable Streets, he “is committed to improving traffic safety as a fundamental public health issue.” Traffic fatalities and injuries have wide impacts on the city in terms of economic, equity, environmental and quality-of life costs. Traffic fatalities and injuries are not an unavoidable consequence of an auto-oriented society. Road safety is an issue that can be substantially addressed by informed design and engineering, education and enforcement.

A Healthy City is an Active City: A Physical Activity Planning Guide
 This planning guide provides a range of ideas, information and tools for developing a comprehensive plan for creating a healthy, active city by enhancing physical activity in the urban environment. By developing, improving and supporting opportunities in the built and social environments, city leaders and their partners can enable all citizens to be physically active in day-to-day life.

World Class Streets: Remaking New York City's Public Realm
This report is part of an ambitious and far reaching effort to place New York at the forefront of urban development. It builds on two previous plans: PlaNYC, Mayor Bloomberg’s comprehensive sustainability plan, and Sustainable Streets, NYCDOT’s strategic plan. While the previous reports were comprehensive in scope, this document focuses solely on the NYCDOT public realm strategies listed at right.

Copenhagen: 10 Principles for Sustainable City Governance
Cities across the world have attempted to overcome modern environmental challenges such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions while still remaining competitive in a globalised economy. Copenhagen, capital of Denmark, has chosen to follow 10 key principles that will allow them to rediscover the city, making it more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable, in order to create a better place to live for the current and future population.

Report on Public Health and Urban Sprawl in Ontario- A review of the pertinent literature
Authors:  Riina Bray, Catherine Vakil and David Elliott.

This report summarizes pertinent information on the relationship between urban sprawl and health. It serves to identify the key issues that are relevant to the growing number of sprawl-related health problems in Ontario which is comparable to US situations and is far worse compared to Europe. The best available evidence indicates that greenspace is an essential part of human health. Neither of these complementary goals - protecting environmental systems and protecting human health - can be accomplished, however, without curbing urban sprawl. In this document, the pathway from urban sprawl to public health via vehicle emissions and air pollution will be examined, along with reviews of the relationship of sprawl to increased driving. The future pattern of land development will shape the choice and mode of travel for future generations, as well as determine housing location and affordability. The impact of the built environment on health is an emerging field of study and more rigorous research is needed, especially in Canada. Despite this, the results of current studies clearly indicate that serious public health problems will continue to escalate unless decisive and immediate action is taken to control urban sprawl and preserve sufficient greenspace, improve air quality, and protect water sources.

Urban Street Trees: 22 Benefits and Specific Applications
Street trees have progressively become a crucial component of urban sustainable cities, due to their endless amount of returned benefits regarding social, environmental and economical challenges. Studies have illustrated that the presence of these trees reduces traffic speeds, creates safer walking environments, enhances placemaking, increases business, reduces drainage infrastructure and efficiently absorbs harmful gasses from the air.

Walking and Cycling to Health by Pucher et. al., 2010 with summary
This article uses a comparative analysis of city, state and international data to determine the magnitude, direction, and statistical significance of the relationship between active travel and rate of physical activity, obesity, and diabetes. A growing body of evidence suggests that differences in the built environment for physical activity (e.g., infrastructure for walking and cycling, availability of public transit, street connectivity, housing density, and mixed land use) influence the likelihood that people will use active transport for their daily travel. People who live in areas that are more conducive to walking and cycling are more likely to engage in these forms of active transport and Walking and cycling can provide valuable daily physical activity.

Active Living by Design: Increasing Physical Activity through Community Design
Active Living by Design (ALBD) is a program that promotes 5 innovative approaches to increase physical activity and integrate it into the daily routines of the general public through community design, public policies, and communication strategies. Physical inactivity is now one of the main causes for some of the most common chronic diseases in the U.S, including coronary heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. ALBD advocates for the implementation of active transportation and recreation in our everyday lives.

Active Transportation for America: The Care for Increased Federal Investment in Bicycling and Walking
Active Transportation works in creating the transition between car-oriented infrastructures to pedestrian-friendly land use in order to increase a far more efficient use of transportation resources. It is clear that the current car-centered transportation policy has lead our communities into chronic congestion, disastrous gas bills, and highly inefficient transportation systems that lead to major health problems. The implementation of active transportation will allow us to create sustainable communities, by promoting physical activity and more liveable settings.

City Transportation Language Policy
The City of West Palm Beach has implemented a new transportation language policy in order to remove biases and discrepancies from the wording used around the city. Objective language will now be used in signage, resolutions, future plans and correspondences in order to further and accurately inform the staff and public. West Palm Beach is progressively gearing their community infrastructures to be better suitable for pedestrians and cyclists. 

Q.&A.: Transportation Secretary on Biking, Walking and 'What Americans Want' by Leora Broydo Vestel
The United States transportation secretary, Ray LaHood, recently caused a stir when he
proclaimed that bicycling and walking should be given the same consideration as motorized
transport in state and local transit projects. Critics, conversely, believe the secretary is taking the country in the wrong direction. Mr. LaHood, formerly a Republican congressman from Illinois, spoke with Green Inc. about his reasons for introducing the new policy, the impact it will have on transportation financing, and why bike paths are a good bang for the buck.

Denmark: Bicycle Parking Manual
Denmark is a country who strongly promotes and demonstrates the public’s consistent use of bicycle, however, a growing issue has been the accessibility of good bicycle parking. Little attention has been paid to this issue, which is therefore deterring people from cycling due to risk of vandalism or theft. This manual illustrates step-by-step recommendations on how and where to create great facilities to encourage even more people to incorporate the use of bicycles in people’s everyday lives.

Influence of the Built Environment on Physical Activity and Quality of Life in the City of Bogota
Over the last 50 years, Bogota has created radical transformations in their infrastructure that have made the city much safer and enjoyable for pedestrians and cyclists of all income levels. The purpose of this study was to better understand the impact that the infrastructural changes have had on the levels of physical activity and quality of life for the residents of Bogota, as well as to further conceptualize the social environments that influence participation of active transportation.

A Footprint of Delight: Exploring Sustainable Happiness
A magnificent study was conducted by Catherine O’Brien and the National Center for Bicycling and Walking, investigating the factors that contributed to the delightfulness and sustainability of a city, reflecting on the residents’ overall happiness. The majority of people’s results projected a significant desire for a more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly community, with peaceful and beautiful green spaces that are appealing children, youth, and seniors.

Streets for Chicago: Complete Streets Policy
Streets for Chicago is a campaign that has been implementing the concept of Complete Streets, in where the infrastructural space is safely shared by pedestrians, cyclists, and motor vehicles at all times. The Chicago Police Department launched the Pilot LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) speed gun system and increased the number or Red Light Cameras in order to deter excessive speeding by motor vehicles, as well as to increase awareness at cross-walks to infer safer facilities for pedestrians.

Ciclovia: the Car-free Zone
Daniel B. Wood writes an inspiring article illustrating the growth of car-free days all throughout America, in where the city closes down the streets to cars, in order to allow pedestrians and cyclists to exclusively enjoy the outdoors. This concept is very popular in many places around the world including Bogota, New York, and Paris. Alongside, many cities such as New York and Atlanta are now prohibiting the entrance of vehicles into the city’s public parks.

Transforming Australian Cities for a more financially viable and sustainable future
The Victorian Government’s Melbourne 2030 Strategy and more recently Melbourne @ 5 Million are both based on the Activity Centre or Transport Orientated Design principles and are widely regarded as both important and necessary strategies to meet the future needs of metropolitan Melbourne. This study concentrates on the ‘missing links’ in the above strategies, namely the potential of the tram and bus corridors to not only accommodate a significant proportion of Melbourne’s future growth, but to do so in a way that will help to meet the aspirations and needs of the greater population while enhancing the performance of the existing infrastructure of the City, particularly the existing public transport infrastructure.

American Planning Association: Complete the Streets!
A complete street is defined as a road that accommodates motorists, bus riders, bicyclists, and pedestrians, including people with disabilities. More than 2 dozen jurisdictions in the US have now adopted laws in where all main roads must mandatorily be built to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists, with the exception of streets where they are prohibited, where the costs are excessive, and where there it’s not necessary (residential).

Copenhagen’s Bicycle Account: City of Cyclists
Copenhagen created an account for its citizens that illustrate concerns, updates, and records in the field of cycling. The Bicycle Account is consistently surveying cyclists in order to better improve and accommodate their facilities, as well as assuring that the objectives set forth for the Cycle Policy 2002-2012 are met. The Bicycle Account contains advice in how to implement these programs into other cities to increase bicycle-use.

Cycling for Everyone: The Key to Public and Political Support
John Pucher’s magnificent powerpoint presentation provides insight into sustainable communities across the world, whether urban or suburban, that have been successful in encouraging many people to take part in active transportation. The presentation outlines strategies, suggestions, and guidelines on how to construct the facilities as well as maintaining them in order for people to live better and healthier lives.

Cycling In Netherlands
 Netherlands has one of the highest percentages of bicyclists in the world. Due to the fact that 70% of all journeys in the city are no longer than 7.5km, the majority of the population prefers the bicycle as the most popular means of transport. This brochure describes the link between bicycle policy and bicycle use, incorporating traffic and infrastructure regulations that ultimately promote the increase in cyclists of all ages.

Trust for Public Land: Growing Smart
In creating sustainable communities, many political leaders tend to struggle between choosing economic growth or open space protection. Will Rogers thoroughly clears up this confusion in the following article, indicating that new parks and open spaces in fact increase business in downtown markets and neighbourhood economies, as well as increasing the community’s health, stability, beauty and quality of life.

A Liberated Look Forward: The Future in Vancouver
Vancouver is a fantastic city with great potential to continue building sustainable communities in all sectors, in order to create more live-able areas. Larry Beasley, the Director of Current Planning in Vancouver, addresses the Urban Development Institute with his requests and ideas for a more sustainable infrastructure for the city.  Beasley’s report focuses on housing in core office areas, market opportunities, and cultural/entertainment growth.

Vancouver - Going for the Green
While the transportation component of Vancouver’s Winter olympics is being watched closely by planners of the 2012 summer olympics in London, Vancouverites saw the event also as an opportunity to reframe the city’s long range transport picture, particularly in the context of a greener future.

Active Living Research- Making the Case for Parks
Regular physical activity increases longevity, well-being, helps children and adults maintain a healthy weight, and can reduce the risk for obesity and its related health consequences. Parks and playgrounds provide a wide variety of opportunities for physical activity and have the potential to help many Americans lead a more active lifestyle. The collective body of evidence suggests that parks and playgrounds encourage physical activity, although the data are not entirely consistent. Research also indicates that the capacity of America’s parks could be further leveraged to promote opportunities for helping diverse populations achieve recommended physical activity levels. This synthesis summarizes the growing body of evidence concerning the role of parks in shaping active lifestyles across a variety of study populations, including children, seniors, lower-income families, specific racial and ethnic groups and other populations at high risk of being inactive.

Measuring the Economic Value of a City Park System
 In 2003, the Trust for Public land’s Center for City Park Excellence gathered 24 park experts and economists in Philadelphia to analyze the economic benefits that arise from park systems. From the reunion, they gathered 7 major factors, which provide a city with direct income, direct savings, environmental savings, as well as qualitative benefits.

Trust for Public Land: The Health Benefits of Parks
The Trust for Public Land launched its report, titled Parks for People, in order to encourage the idea of putting a park within easy reach of every family, in order to reduce some health issues based on inactivity, as well as increasing social benefits. Studies have shown that when people have close access to parks, they exercise more and reduce car-usage within short distances, therefore removing great potential for these diseases.

The Happy City- From Bogota to Paris
Although parks improve our lives economically, environmentally, and physically, it is evident that one of the most remarkable effects that they impose upon us relates to our well-being. Cities such as Paris, Bogota and Hangzhou have clearly demonstrated this trend, confirming that it is the interaction, eye contact and experiences that we gain when we walk or bike that generate overall happiness. Creating meeting places, parks, and pathways, we promote a sense of equality and balance that allows people to feel happy.

2010 World Population Data Sheet - Population Reference Bureau
Today, global population adds another billion at record rates. From developing countries that remain young and growing to developed countries that undergo aging and little growth in population size, this report unveils important information about current population rate, health and environment data from around the world. As aging population puts pressure on a society’s ability to support its elderly citizens critical information on projected population for 2025 and 2050, Gross National Income Purchasing Power Parity (GNI PPP) per capita, populations per square kilometer, percent of population who use improved sanitation in urban and rural locales, along with information on the number of mobile phone subscribers is available for each country and by regions.

Sustainable Transport: Revitalizing São Paulo ’s City Center
The Institute for Transportation & Development Policy (ITDP) has been working with Jan Gehl (from Gehl Architects) as well as Tim Tomkins (head of Times Square Alliance in NYC) in creating fantastic cities for the public. These cities are transformed into places that people love with sustainable infrastructure that people choose to use.  

World Transport Policy & Practice: Cycling Policy Innovations in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany
The WTPP launched a special-issue monograph on cycling geared to influence decision makers, politicians, and bureaucrats to construct safe facilities for pedestrians and cyclists. The WTPP is encouraging at least 30% of the population in all cities to take part in active transportation. This report illustrates examples from the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany, as they represent the very best in coordinated policies and programs to make cycling safe, convenient and attractive.  

Melbourne Bicycle Account- Cycling Census 2007
After tremendous improvement in their pedestrian and cyclist facilities, Melbourne has agreed to launch their first annual publication of the Melbourne Bicycle Account, following the lead of Copenhagen. This report will include the city’s progress in their Bike Plan of 2007-2011, as well as a summary of cyclist behaviour. The Bicycle Account will conclude with a cyclist opinion survey which will assist in accurately writing future reports.

Comprehensive Plan: Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board holds a vision for the future eliciting the preservation of land and emphasizing the idea of connecting people to nature, as well as to each other.  A comprehensive plan was set forward, including feedback from residents, visitors, staff and elected officials, and as a result, the community-desired outcomes will be prioritized from short term to long terms ready to be implemented.

Downtown Minneapolis Park Space Initiative: Final Report
Almost every major successful city in America has a downtown signature park that serves as a central public gathering place, a point of local pride, and a reflection of the city’s public heart. The City of Minneapolis has a variety of smaller downtown parks; however, they are inclined to pursue the idea of creating a central park that would be financially viable. The following report seeks to outline the general framework from cost benefits and tax revenues, to appropriate location, size, connectivity, and visibility.

My Pick for the Great American Neighbourhood
Walljasper, an experienced international traveller and author of Great Neighbourhood Book, analyzes the best things from the greatest neighbourhoods around the world to create a vision of the most fantastic neighbourhood that could ever be. His inspiring editorial gives guidelines and assertiveness that these neighbourhoods can and should be created all around the world!

Price Tags: Paris 2008
Over many years, Paris has transformed into a city that is tying itself together through overlapping modes of movement, building new kinds of infrastructure to make connections among its great public spaces. From creating a city for strictly cars, Paris has re-invented a new sense of life, in where parks are created for people. Events such as the Paris-Plage or the Simon-de-Beauvoir provide a fantastic sense of life for citizens and visitors.

Active Living by Design: Parks Trails Greenways Factsheet
Active Living by Design establishes and evaluates innovative approaches to increase physical activity through a more suitable infrastructure, in order to increase health. The report provides a list of promotions, policies, projects, and programs that are being implemented. Programs range from promoting bike safety, to creating after school and summer program to enhance physical activity.

Walking in Air: Pedestrian Bridges
Pedestrian bridges reunite downtowns with waterfronts, add dynamic forms to city skylines, give historic vehicular bridges new life, and bring citizens closer to nature.  However, planners have managed to place them in a lower priority in accordance to park planning. This has restricted many pedestrians from safe accessibility to these areas.

Place-Making Around the World
Over the last 50 years, many cities in America have been focusing on transforming their areas with a more modern theme in mind, in where success is centered on the economic return. Other cities, however, have developed a more respectable view of our future, by creating sustainable cities for the 21st century where people will live happier and healthier. This report includes remarkable examples from places such as Paris, The Netherland and Canada.

World City Bike Collaborative
The World City Bike Collaborative Program offers assistance in screening and preparing city projects generated around the concept of sustainable cities, which includes place-making, parks, as well as pedestrian and cyclist-friendly infrastructure. Help is offered at 4 different levels and is guaranteed to plan, design, and advice projects that will create and connect phenomenal communities.

Making Cycling Irresistible: Lessons from The Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany
This article shows how the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany have made bicycling a safe, convenient and practical way to get around the cities, while making driving expensive as well as inconvenient in the downtowns. The analysis and data is obtained from numerous studies from large and small communities, and all demonstrate that separated bike facilities along arterials and traffic calming in residential areas are the key concepts to achieve high levels of cycling.