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Incentives
For New York City to plan for the 21st century, it should embrace its 19th and early 20th century history. During this time, the city grew rapidly; in the 1930s, the city had almost 7 million people – an increase of almost 6 million people from the 1850s. New York accommodated extraordinary growth during a…
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Filling the Void
From the Independent Subway to the Freedom Tower, Americans rightly love their independence and freedom. But our affinity for liberty can be bad for urban planning, because it can hinder collaboration, coordination, and compromise. State’s rights and municipal police powers combine to make regional planning particular difficult in the United States. In the New York region, three states (governed…
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Keep New York On Track, Off the Tracks
New York City’s subway network was designed for speed. It was purposefully built near the surface, along major transportation corridors, not only in order to lower costs, but in order to ease congestion on the street, and allow for quick access to stations. Unlike newer sections of the subway, dug deep underground in order to…
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Lavasa: The Tumultuous Progress of an Aspiring Eco-City
India is urbanizing at an unprecedented rate; it is predicted that its urban population will grow from 308 million to 750 million by 2050. However, India’s current cities are ill-equipped to accept such large numbers of migrants. Plagued by inadequate social and physical infrastructure, congestion, pollution and therefore poor livability and expensive real estate, these…
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RegioNYC
How do New Yorkers stay grounded? Perhaps through strolling in a park or exercising in a gym, or grabbing some sun at Coney Island. But the city itself is literally (under)grounded by public transportation. And we need to keep New York on track — also literally — in order for it to continue to prosper. Most…
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Grow Up, Boston
Boston is facing an identity crisis, and it needs to grow up – literally. Is it a global city, with ample night life opportunities, or a New England town, shutting down with the MBTA before midnight? In many respects, Boston’s identity is based upon its backbone – its outdated, stressed transportation infrastructure. Relatively unique to…
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Does Bus Rapid Transit Reduce Driving?
Source: photo by Lucas Conwell Introduction Bus rapid transit (BRT) systems have received ample attention in recent years for their ability to offer travel time reductions and mobility benefits comparable to those of rail transit for less than one third of the cost. One major argument for investing in BRT lines, which incorporate subway-like features…
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Connect
It’s winter again in Boston. Anyone who was there last year during February and March knows what that means. The ability to move about the city could come to a screeching halt in the blink of an eye. . The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA, or the “T”) completely shut down last winter after repeated large winter storms,…
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Phoenix: A Downtown Desert
In daily life, the concept of “livability” is becoming very important to where we choose to put down our roots. This isn’t a new concept. For a long while, those with the privilege to make a distinct choice about where they want to live have made pros and cons lists for plenty of urban and…
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