Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about Streetsblog Network

Is “Sprawl Repair” Worth It?

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Transforming the territory of strip malls and big boxes into walkable places is a hot topic, exemplified by the popular book “Retrofitting Suburbia.” But is it worth the time, money, and effort? Robert Steuteville of Better! Cities & Towns writes that architect Kevin Klinkenberg and development expert Lee Sobel raised the question at this year’s Congress for the […]

What Happened When Istanbul Opened Streets to People

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By the end of the 20th century, the Historic Peninsula of Istanbul had a serious pollution problem. Writing for TheCityFix, Tu?çe Üzümo?lu says air quality was so bad that historic sites and monuments were degrading. When a UNESCO study identified poor transportation infrastructure as a factor, the local government pedestrianized streets throughout the district. Ten […]

Transpo Funding Intrigue in Washington State

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Here’s a look at what’s happening around the Streetsblog Network today… Washington Governor Jay Inslee may go ahead and swallow the “poison pill” that Republican legislators insisted on including in a state transportation package, reports Frank Chachiere at Seattle Transit Blog. That would mean Inslee will go ahead with a low-carbon fuel standard for the state, which will […]

The I-81 “Dead Zone” Is Stifling Downtown Syracuse

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New York state officials are expected to decide soon whether to rebuild and widen I-81 through downtown Syracuse or tear it down and replace it with surface streets. Mayor Stephanie Miner has called the I-81 corridor a “dead zone” that separates Syracuse University and its environs from downtown. University officials have said it stands in the way of […]

More Affordable Housing, Fewer Driveways

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As Minneapolis considers dropping parking minimums for residential developments near transit, Seattle may soon be talking about doing away with driveways for single-family houses. Erica C. Barnett at Seattle Transit Blog writes that Mayor Ed Murray’s committee on affordable housing and urban livability has drafted a proposal to replace single-family zoning with a new designation that would […]