Boyd Cohen, Ph.D. recently came up with a methodology to rank large cities in the U.S. based on how much they are preparing for or trying to counter climate change. He then went on to create and publish a top 10 list of the most “climate-ready” cities. While I think the term “climate-ready” is sort of a mistake, since he focuses more on efforts to stop climate change not adapt to it (which is what I would assume “climate-readiness” would be about), I think the overall idea and methodology looks great.
First Bike Sharing Program in U.S. without Bike Stations?
“A small start-up near Washington, D.C. has started what it calls ‘the first stationless smart bike sharing program in North America.’ And all it took to get the system up and running was some bikes, U-locks and mobile phones.” That’s…
Why Streetcars are Important (& Cool)
Almost 50 years ago, streetcars in Washington, D.C. stopped running and most of their tracks were removed. Now they’re back and ready for a revival, with parts of the first two lines slated to open next spring. In this post, we talk to Dan…
Over 30% of San Francisco Households Now Car-Free
New data out in the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency 2010 Transportation Fact Sheet shows that the number of car-free households in San Francisco has climbed a little bit recently, bringing the percentage of car-free households in this progressive city above…
Bicycling Boom in North America
Bicycling in Washington, D.C., Minneapolis, Chicago, San Francisco, and many other big North American cities has increased a few times over (or more) in the past couple of decades. And with more people cycling, more people get the urge to…
How to Save $9,515 a Year
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) releases figures regarding how much people save by riding transit in the U.S. every month in its Transit Savings Report. It calculates how much the average American saves as well as how much an…
Plastic Bag Tax in D.C. Stimulating Big Change
Only nine months after Washington, DC implemented a 5-cent plastic bag tax, plastic bag use has dropped about 60%! I think that is a surprisingly strong result. “I am somewhat surprised by the extent to which people changed their behavior,”…
New Bike-Sharing Program in Chicago & Washington, DC Bike-Sharing Program Getting 10x Bigger
Chicago is launching its first major bike-sharing program this month and Washington, DC is growing its from 120 bikes to 1,100 bikes. Back when I was the executive director of a non-profit promoting clean transportation (mostly bicycling) and sustainable development,…