When we envision our streets, we typically think about the automobile. However, there are other important modes of transportation that should be prioritized as well – such as walking, biking, or moving with assistive devices. Through Smart Growth America’s “Complete Streets” approach, communities can ensure that their streets prioritize safety over speed, balance the needs of different modes of transportation, and support local land uses, economies, cultures, and natural envi

By Kevin DeGood “We have to begin to look at alternatives. You can’t pave over the whole country.” – U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-OR)1 Global climate change is an existential threat to human civilization. Greenhouse gas (GHG) levels in the atmosphere are higher now than at any other time in the past 4 million years.2 Beginning in 2016, the transportation sector surpassed electricity generation to become the largest source

The long-term health benefits of using bike share vastly outweigh the short-term risks, even in the most polluted and car-dominated U.S. cities, a new study finds — and cities who invest in reducing those risks by loosening car dominance can save even more lives and millions in precious public health dollars. In what its authors believe to be the first study to quantify the public health benefits of U.S. bicycle sharing systems, epidemiological researchers at Colorado Univers

How Pennsylvania can reduce emissions to fight the effects of climate change | Climate Smart Climate change is one of the biggest problems facing the world today, and it’s consequences are already being felt here in Pennsylvania. One of the biggest things needed to help stop these effects is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are released into our atmosphere. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26% in 2025 and by 80% in 2050.

Transit hubs are more than just places to wait for the train, bus, or trolley — they are opportunities. In the Greater Philadelphia region, millions of SEPTA riders travel through these spaces each day, moving through them as they go to work, school and wherever else they need to go. More often than not, they are paved, barren landscapes that contribute to urban heat island effect and stormwater runoff while offering minimal safety and comfort to riders. Yet there are ways to

President Biden’s proposed infrastructure plan calling for enormous investments in clear vitality, public transportation, and electrical autos would do much more than gradual the rate of devastating local weather change. It would additionally defend the well-being of each American, particularly younger youngsters and older adults, by decreasing the dangerous results of the invisible air pollution inhaled year after year. Toxic substances like tremendous particulate matter, ni

By Adam Mann The concept is called induced demand, which is economist-speak for when increasing the supply of something (like roads) makes people want that thing even more. Though some traffic engineers made note of this phenomenon at least as early as the 1960s, it is only in recent years that social scientists have collected enough data to show how this happens pretty much every time we build new roads. I GREW UP in Los Angeles, the city by the freeway by the sea. And if th

Subsidizing employer-paid parking clogs streets, boosts emissions and isn’t fair to commuters who can’t use this perk. But there’s an easy way to fix it. Cities, states and the federal government are trying to reduce traffic congestion, air pollution and carbon emissions, but a Catch-22 in the federal tax code works against these goals. The income tax exemption for employer-paid parking subsidizes solo driving to work, which helps explain why 81% of American commuters drive t