Charming Streetcars, Brad Pitt Hearts New Orleans, Walkin’ (or not) in Philly, more…
Streetcar or Light Rail? It’s All in the Name
“It bugs me that such an awkward, engineering-specific term — light rail — has become the common one for the trains that run on fixed rails with overhead electric wires that have been built in dozens of cities across the United States. (The term comes from the fact that light rail is an alternative to “heavy rail” systems — subways or inter-city trains that weigh more and can carry more people.) I support the mass transit systems, but who could love something as soulless as “light rail”?
Others weigh in.
“When Mayor Richard Hyde looks at the waterfront here, he sees beyond the toxic waste, the empty factories and the vacant lots. He envisions a post-industrial future of condos, shops and restaurants — a bustling community of 10,000 affluent people on the shore of Lake Michigan. Factory owners don’t see it that way. The conflict in Waukegan symbolizes the dramatic changes sweeping across the five Great Lakes, a region that is trying to reinvent itself in a way that could have major implications for the nation.”
Brazilians Leave United States in Droves
The decision to give up on life in the United States — is being made by more and more Brazilians across the country, according to consular officials, travel agencies swamped by one-way ticket bookings, and community leaders in the neighborhoods that Brazilian immigrants have transformed, from Boston to Pompano Beach, Fla.
Chicago’s (Ongoing) Transportation Woes
If Illinois’ political pileup over transportation issues was a movie, a good title might be, “Planes, Trains & Automobiles.” Trains, such as the ones in Chicagoland that will quit running some time next month if the state doesn’t provide money for the region’s mass transit system. Automobiles, which are in need of improved roads, which downstate lawmakers are demanding before they will agree to the Chicago transit bailout. And planes, such as the one Gov. Rod Blagojevich used one night last week so he could jet home to watch a Chicago hockey game — while his transportation initiative was crashing and burning in Springfield.”
Housing Competition for New Orleans
“Thom Mayne of Morphosis in Los Angeles designed a house that would float if the city floods. James Timberlake of KieranTimberlake Associates in Philadelphia created a house with native vines climbing up the side walls to provide shade and coolness. Steven B. Bingler of Concordia in New Orleans envisioned a house with wide front steps ideal for a traditional crawfish boil. Those are three of the designs by 13 architecture firms commissioned by the actor Brad Pitt to help rebuild New Orleans’s impoverished Lower Ninth Ward, one of the neighborhoods hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.”
This Ranking Might Actually Be Useful
In a ranking of 30 U.S. cities for walkability, Philadelphia placed in the middle of the pack - 13th. Washington, D.C., came in first as the most walkable community. Cynics might wonder if any bias is involved, since the study was concocted by the Washington D.C.-based Brookings Institution. Boston placed second, and rounding out the top five were San Francisco, Denver and Portland. Tampa came in last at No. 30.
Whats up with this mediocrity, Philly? What could we do to become a more walkable city?
Will Obama Change our Cities?
Mark on Mon, Dec 10, 2007 at 6:50pm
Maybe the percieved mediocrity of Philly has to do with the study’s methodology. Leinberger limits himself to “regional-serving walkable urban places,” and although he specifically mentions Disney World as a walkable urban place he’s excluding from his survey, his definition of RSWUPs (wow, that’s an intimidating acronym) really jives with the theme park: these are places that people drive or train into, walk around for a bit, shop, maybe work, see a movie, have a drink, then leave. The commercialization of the area is his main focus, to which he adds the clause, “and generally integrates residential as well.” He also specifically excludes “bedroom neighborhoods,” walkable places that “are residential in nature with limited commercial venues and instead serve everyday needs”. To me, these neighborhoods are the lifeblood of any good city: places not just occupied from 9 to 5, or during happy hour, but places that people actually inhabit, guard, love, live. And Philly’s got those in spades.
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