Category: Policy
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Using art to relieve bicycle congestion
The Dutch city of Utrecht is no stranger to a phenomenon called “bicycle congestion”—a situation where infrastructural facilities for cyclists are used so much that their efficiency starts to suffer and negatively affects the cyclist’s biking experience (much like how congestion on roads affects motorists). Whether the congestion hits suggested bike lanes, seperated bike paths,…
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Ibn Khaldun: The First Urban Sociologist
Ibn Khaldun belonged to an aristocratic family from Seville, Spain but he was born in 1332 in modern-day Tunisia. In 1362, at the age of 30, he moved back to Spain and entered into the service of the Sultan of Granada where he served as Secretary of State and an Ambassador to the court of Pedro the King of…
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EVENT: 4/3/2013 Freedom of Information in the Drone Age
What: Freedom of Information Day 2013: “Freedom of Information in the Drone Age” When: Wednesday, April 3, 2013 at 6:00 p.m. Where: Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL) of The New York Public Library, 188 Madison Avenue For Whom: This should be of interest to fans of open government, history buffs, and researchers From the NYPL…
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Amsterdam: The Bicycling Capital of Europe
Amsterdam is the most bicycle friendly city in Europe with 881,000 bikes in a city of 780,559 people. Amsterdam has approximately 280 miles of cycling lanes, and close to 58% of its residents use bicycles on a daily basis, 43% of them are commuting to work by bicycle. There are two reasons why Amsterdam is such a conducive place for bicycle use: Firstly, the topography…
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Do Cities Bring High Speed Rail Within Reach?
A couple of weeks ago, we cited a fantastic (and sadly, entirely fictional) map made by Alfred Twu as a potential catalyst for High Speed Rail in the U.S. The map oozes ambitions for a hyper-connected continent, and builds on many of the more realistic proposals for High-Speed Rail that were put forth over the…
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Is NYC Missing The Boat On Congestion Pricing?
Congestion Pricing has been in the news a lot recently. As it’s increasingly being embraced and debated by policymakers, planners and others, let’s take a look at what’s been happening around the world, and check up on where things stand in NYC. London recently saw the ten-year anniversary of its Congestion Charging scheme. Within a…