St. Paul and the Problem of Arterial-Only Housing Development
In St. Paul, we have confined the majority of our housing development to heavily trafficked streets, forcing residents to bear the consequences.
Category: Housing
How to Make Better Arguments Before the Planning Commission (or Similar Bodies)
Many residents who testify about housing developments don’t fully understand how the relevant decisions are made, leaving them disillusioned and unsatisfied with the city planning process.
National Links: Short-Term Rentals Cause Small-Town Problems
Short-term vacation rentals in destination small towns — in warm climates and even Duluth — are eating up housing stock; plus other national news
National Links: 100 Years of Auto Centricity
A weekly roundup of links from The Overhead Wire, a national streets-focused blog. This week: a century of automotive tyranny, a different kind of speculation on the housing market and how to make transit projects cheaper.
Single-Family Home Solar or Apartment Development: Which Is Better for the Climate?
One neighbor of a proposed apartment development says that it would block their access to sunlight for solar energy, but getting more people to live in our cities is the more important climate goal.
National Links: The Importance of Time
Protected bike lanes have measurably countered climate change in Colombia, China and elsewhere. And other “National Links” showing the impact of smart, selfless planning around the world.
National Links: Cold Seawater to Heat a City
Links from The Overhead Wire to news from around the country. This week: a Baltic city looks to cold seawater for its future heating needs; another urban freeway draws discussion about future alternatives; considering the commuting emissions of office buildings; and more.
Don’t Forget: We Need More Large Apartments
Data show the importance of large buildings for meeting urban housing needs. But first that concept has to gain support.
National Links: Not Everyone Can Afford to Ride the Bus
More than half of people with incomes below the federal poverty line can’t afford to access transit, and why jaywalking laws are outdated and unsafe.
National Links: Phoenix’s Ancient Watery Secret
The desert city of Phoenix, Arizona is home to 180 miles of canals, supplying much needed water in a region plagued with scarcity. Yet the canals are not without precedent: the Hohokam people, who once inhabited the area, constructed hundreds of miles of canals to supply tens of thousands of acres of farmland, hundreds of years before Phoenix rose from the ashes of the civilization.