#PublicSpaces in #Bogotá, Colombia"the Athens of South America" @PPS_Placemaking

#PublicSpaces in Bogotá, Colombia, "the Athens of South America" @PPS_Placemaking http://t.co/boGa9aZfQ2

— TheSidewalkBallet (@1sidewalkballet) November 30, 2014

From PBS NewsHour — 'A long way from zero' NYC takes on traffic fatalities

Although New York City streets over the past few years have been the safest in decades, traffic accidents and pedestrian fatalities have recently started to tick back up. Now, city officials are looking to "Vision Zero," an initiative based on a model from Sweden. The plan hinges on expanded enforcement, new street designs and legislation to increase penalties for dangerous drivers. NewsHour's Hari Sreenivasan reports. Read more: A long way from zero': NYC takes on traffic fatalities | PBS NewsHour

From US Public Interest Research Group — Millennials in Motion

Over the last decade – after 60-plus years of steady increases – the number of miles driven by the average American has been falling. Young Americans have experienced the greatest changes: driving less; taking transit, biking and walking more; and seeking out places to live in cities and walkable communities where driving is an option, not a necessity.

Academic research, survey results and government data point to a multitude of factors at play in the recent decline in driving among young people: socioeconomic shifts, changes in consumer preferences, technological changes, efforts by state governments and colleges to limit youth driving, and more.

Read more: Millennials in Motion | U.S. PIRG. HT Todd Litman 

Dublin Cyclehoop Bike Hangar will be installed in mid-January. @DCCbeta

Post by The Sidewalk Ballet.

NYC lowered speed limit to 25. Other cities should do it too.

Post by Project for Public Spaces.

Charles Montgomery in Salon.com — Wal-Mart: An economic cancer on our cities

Most of us agree that development that provides employment and tax revenue is good for cities. Some even argue that the need for jobs outweighs aesthetic, lifestyle, or climate concerns—in fact, this argument comes up any time Walmart proposes a new megastore near a small town. But a clear-eyed look at the spatial economics of land, jobs, and tax regimes should cause anyone to reject the anything-and-anywhere-goes development model. To explain, let me offer the story of an obsessive number cruncher who found his own urban laboratory quite by chance. Read more: Wal-Mart: An economic cancer on our cities - Salon.com

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From StreetsBlog NYC — Woodhaven BRT Could Set New Standard for NYC Busways

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NYC DOT and the MTA have developed three design concepts for Select Bus Service on Woodhaven Boulevard and Cross Bay Boulevard in southeast Queens, and two of them go further than previous SBS routes to keep cars from slowing down buses [PDF]. All of the options include some measures to shorten crossing distances for pedestrians on one of the city’s widest and most dangerous streets. Read more: First Look: Woodhaven BRT Could Set New Standard for NYC Busways

From Project for Public Spaces — Finding a Place to Sit in Ireland’s Public Spaces

PPS’s Communications and Outreach Manager Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman was fortunate recently to visit Ireland on a brief but informative tourist trip. Taking a moment out of the scheduled hustle, she took the opportunity to record some of the public spaces of Dublin and Galway – while searching for an elusive public seat.

Read more about her commentary and Irish culture on our Exposure photoblog page, and be sure to check out Nidhi’s adventure in Bogota, and our three features from last year’s Heart of the Community program, including Burnside Park in Providence, RI, Travis Park in San Antonio, TX, and Campus Martius Park in Detroit, MI. For more on our involvement in Dún Laoghaire, check out our blog on our workshops. More at: All Around Ireland: Finding a Place to Sit in Ireland’s Public Spaces

From @Dezeen — 3D Animation Completion of Sagrada Família

More at: One-minute 3D animation shows final phases of Gaudí's Sagrada Família

#TEDTalk @JeffSpeckAICP at @TEDCity2_0

Like "The Walkable City" book by @JeffSpeckAICP? You'll love his #TEDTalk at @TEDCity2_0: http://t.co/NwSa2iJAQb pic.twitter.com/VjxTPU87fA

— TEDCity2.0 (@TEDCity2_0) November 5, 2014

UBC School of Architecture Urban Design Forum livestream and tweets #urbandesignforum

Tweets about "#UrbanDesignForum "

Forum on the future of Commercial Drive Live tweets #streets4every1

#streets4every1 Tweets

Join #streets4every1 tomorrow at the Grandview Woodland Area Council Forum on the future of Commercial Drive. pic.twitter.com/9U3Tt4p5jx

— Streets For Everyone (@Streets4Every1) November 3, 2014

Rotterdam Markthal goes supersized in psychedelic ‪#‎marketplace‬ @guardian

Post by Nanaimo Commons.

From Price Tags — Arthur Erickson on False Creek development – 1983

Fascinating Jack Webster interview with Arthur Erickson in 1983, discussing the development of B.C. Place (when it was a proposed megaproject to be developed by the Province) for which he was the consulting architect. Renderings start at 9.45. (A very-80s Dave Podmore, head of planning for B.C. Place, shows up – that’s him pictured.) Full post at: Arthur Erickson on False Creek development – 1983 | Price Tags

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From Project for Public Spaces — How to Restore Walking as a Way of Life

The bias in our national philosophy towards high speed mobility has long been a topic that PPS has advocated against. In addition to stifling Placemaking, forcing people into cars has contributed to a host of growing national problems. Most compelling of those problems is the incredible pedestrian carnage. Yet until recently public outcry was minimal and government investment in transportation paid only lip service to annual fatalities that amount to the equivalent of one major airplane crash each month. Read more: Project for Public Spaces | How to Restore Walking as a Way of Life

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