From Stroad to Boulevard — On Broadway and Robots and Debt

Yes, robotaxis. Or google-cars, autonomous vehicles, whatever you want to call them (I like including the word taxi because that makes it clear they’re not individually owned). Anybody charged with long term transport investments must be aware of the state of this art, and the forecasts that are measured in handfuls of years.Unlike some, I see electric robotaxis as being enablers and catalysts - not threats - to walkable urbanism, like a cheaper, more convenient version of car-share or taxis today. Read more: Stroad to Boulevard • On Broadway and robots and debt

RT @strongtowns: Ugh! RT@1sidewalkballet Stroads! @cityofnanaimo Transportation Plan @neil21 fb.me/1nNHudjAN @g_anderson1
— TheSidewalkBallet (@1sidewalkballet) March 19, 2013

From urbansynergies — Crowd Control at Comiket Market in Tokyo

Found this time lapse video of crowd control for the Comiket market in Tokyo, Japan. I was first struck by the immense crowd that the market draws and then the ballet like nature of the movement of consumers. Wish we had something like this in Toronto helping us to support individual publication and artistic expression. Read more: Crowd Control at Comiket | urbansynergies on WordPress.com 

"Every piece of infrastructure is an opportunity to express creatively how much cities care about people" inqmind.co/2013/01/the-fe… v @garberdc
— Brent Toderian (@BrentToderian) March 12, 2013

From The Atlantic Cities — Jane Jacobs Was Right: Gradual Redevelopment Does Promote Community

ERIC JAFFE  The results showed quite clearly that a mixture of buildings indicated strong social ties. Mid-century housing age was significantly associated with all four types of social relations, while recent construction had a negative association with social control in particular. Once King controlled for other demographic factors, only housing "age diversity" kept its significant link with all four social metrics she measured. Read more: Jane Jacobs Was Right: Gradual Redevelopment Does Promote Community - Eric Jaffe - The Atlantic Cities

From jellybeancity.com — Passeig de St Joan, Barcelona

“When the city dweller leaves his home or the homes of people he knows personally, he is surrounded by strangers… the world of strangers which is the city is located in the city’s public space.” — Lyn H Lofland. A World of Strangers: Order and Action in Urban Public Space, 1973. page 19 Click photo for hi-res enlargement.

Public Space: A World of Strangers (two of x) | jellybeancity on WordPress.com

From Streetfilms.org — Bus Rapid Transit

Streetfilms | MBA: Bus Rapid Transit