#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