Des' City Links of the Week 2021-06-10
This week's planning, transport, and urban development links of interest
Hi everyone,
Here are a few interesting reads on cities, development, and transport that I’ve come across recently. Please share!
Planning/Development
Thought provoking podcast conversation on cities, suburbs, mobility, and choice with the creator of the Not Just Bikes youtube channel:
http://podcast.strongtowns.org/e/jason-slaughter-the-goal-isnt-to-build-a-cycling-city/
“In most residential subdivisions, there is little or no through traffic. Narrow streets work successfully in San Francisco, Philadelphia - and many countries around the world. So there is little reason to require a 50-foot right of way. Local governments might even ask - why regulate street width at all?”
https://streetwidths.its.ucla.edu/
Is it time to rethink the prioritization of shadow prevention in Toronto’s midrise guidelines in favour of greater emphasis on affordability and resilience?
http://spacing.ca/toronto/2021/06/03/lorinc-why-torontos-urban-design-needs-a-lesson-on-climate-and-equity/
Let’s visit a greenfield rowhouse and apartment block in suburban Hoofddorp NL!
https://architectenweb.nl/projecten/project.aspx?ID=41515 [NL, pics]
Alain Bertaud on Jane Jacobs and spontaneous order in cities:
https://marroninstitute.nyu.edu/blog/alain-bertaud-speaks-on-the-fight-between-spontaneous-order-and-central-planning
Can apartments exist on residential side streets? Why not?
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/dan-fumano-can-apartment-blocks-exist-on-side-streets-why-not
Mobility/Transport
European and Asian cities outperform Canadian cities on access to opportunity by transit, but also by car:
https://transportist.org/2021/06/09/towards-the-30-minute-city-how-australians-commutes-compare-with-cities-overseas/
New signage in Toronto to indicate when a cul-de-sac is a dead end for drivers but a through connection for people on foot or bike:
https://seanmarshall.ca/2021/06/09/signs-of-recognition/
On transport planning and design in New Zealand: “Against the wishes of just about every council policy document, its unelected officials are committing us, project by project, to more years of auto-dependency. That’s obviously bad for cyclists and pedestrians. But it’s also bad for motorists.”
https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/29-05-2021/aucklands-transport-planners-are-out-of-control/
Contrasting various national approaches to high speed rail:
https://pedestrianobservations.com/2021/05/30/the-different-national-traditions-of-building-high-speed-rail/
Matt Yglesias on how bad regulation is at the core of the intersections between parking mandates, housing supply, and transport innovation:
https://www.slowboring.com/p/the-case-for-parking-reform
Here’s an interesting report on edge lane roads, or roads marked for cycling on the edges with a single travel lane in the middle:
https://transweb.sjsu.edu/sites/default/files/1925-Pande-Safety-Edge-Lane-Roads.pdf [PDF]
[NL] or [FR]? Usually the link will be image-heavy. In Chrome, right click and select ‘Translate to English’ for the text.