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Framingham Bicycle & Advisory Committee meets Tuesday

The Framingham Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee meets tomorrow (Tuesday, Dec. 8), 7:30 pm in conference room 1 of the Memorial Building (Framingham Town Hall). Agenda7:30 PM-> Vote on...

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Aesthetics, sidewalks matter: My testimony to the state Dept. of Transportation

I delivered this written testimony to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation at a public hearing tonight on a federally funded Route 9 road resurfacing project:Lessen traffic congestion,...

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Residents, officials urge state to improve Rte. 9 pedestrian environment

The Commonwealth plans to do some sidewalk improvements along Route 9 as part of a Stimulus-funded resurfacing project in Natick and Framingham. However, the plans also call for eliminating some...

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Public Transit 2.0

The LivableStreets Alliance is hosting what looks like an interesting presentation on Tuesday, April 6 from 7 to 9 pm: How technology is improving public transit with data.Find out how the Mass Dept....

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We can keep living standards high while cutting energy use

"I know that these days you’re supposed to see the future in China or India, not in the heart of 'old Europe,' " writes Paul Krugman in a column called Stranded in Suburbia.  But "Europeans who have...

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Better streetscapes lead to more walking

Add Scientific American to the list of those saying we need aesthetically pleasing streetscapes to encourage more walking.Says a recent podcast:"According to Andrew Furman of Ryerson University in...

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5 reasons why this pedestrian trail really works: Ogunquit's Marginal Way

Along the Marginal WayYes, Ogunquit, Maine's Marginal Way has spectacular views of the ocean along the full 1.25-mile walking path, and that's certainly a key reason why so many people use it. Not...

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'Big box' retailers don't generate as much property tax revenue as you might...

A 'big box' store like Wal-Mart coming to town may look like a local tax revenue windfall. But according to an analysis of property tax revenue per acre in Sarasota county, Fla., such...

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America's Most Walkable Cities - the data

There's a nice post by smart-growth advocate Richard Florida pulling together a couple of different data points to find America's most walkable cities.The top city by both Walkscore.com and Nate Berg's...

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Boston group to invigorate the Common

Great news in today's Boston Globe about a plan to rejuvenate a portion of Boston Common.In addition to important cosmetic changes such as repairing concrete and planting trees, there are plans for...

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Yet more data: Walkable neighborhoods improve health

Australia's Institute of Health is the latest organization to discover that living in a walkable neighborhoods decrease the likelihood that you'll be obese.Imagine that: If you get out and walk places...

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Your ideas for the future of 495/MetroWest

What transportation needs should be addressed in the region? (The ability to walk places, of course!) Where should open space be preserved? How to ensure continued economic prosperity? Share your input...

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How to reduce our "epidemic of preventable pedestrian deaths"

In 15 of the country's largest metro areas, pedestrian deaths increased even as overall number of traffic deaths fell, according Transportation for America's new study, Dangerous by Design 2011. Why?...

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Framingham Planning Board: Stephanie Mercandetti

We've got an open seat on the Framingham Planning Board with two write-in candidates mounting serious campaigns. I'm supporting Stephanie Mercandetti. If you live in Framingham and care about creating...

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People pay more for walkable communities

"Today, the most valuable real estate lies in walkable urban locations," according to this analysis in the New York Times. Values for commercial and residential real estate in the Washington, D.C....

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Great reason to green up vacant lots

Residents feel safer when living near a vacant lot that's been "greened," instead of glass-strewn dirt or concrete, according to a study by the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine....

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5 years of traffic fatalities visualized

These data visualizations of traffic deaths include several showing deaths involving pedestrians. One clear pattern: Pedestrian risk rises sharply around dusk.

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Sprawl leads to more pedestrian deaths as well as fewer walkers

Greater sprawl leads to a higher pedestrian death rate  -- not jusr fewer people out walking. From the New York Times:Urban sprawl comes with numerous liabilities, among them, as it happens, a...

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Recipe for revitalizing public spaces

How do you deal with an urban space that's "become known for petty crime, drugs, and homelessness"? That was the issue facing an area of Boston Common of Park and Tremont streets. In Brewer Plaza,...

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Suburbs don't appeal: Young adults want more urban environments

Suburbs are losing their young adult population as the number of 25- to 44-year-olds are declining -- especially in affluent communities, says this article in the New York Times looking at US Census...

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Walkable communities are better for your health

Latest data on how walkable communities are better for your health: "More compact and connected street networks with fewer lanes on the major roads are correlated with reduced rates of obesity,...

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How can we create a more active and vibrant downtown Framingham?

Framingham is having a drop-in meeting tonight to get ideas on how we can "create a more active and vibrant center in Downtown Framingham." Some of the questions they're asking:What businesses would...

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These strategies really work to bring new life to aging urban downtowns

Don't miss this great roundup over at Journalist's Resources on what truly works for revitalizing urban cores. Among the proven strategies for communities large and small:Start with core residential...

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MIT project uses sensors to measure pedestrian appeal of urban space

The MIT Media Lab's Placelet project will "track how pedestrians move through a particular space,"according to The Atlantic's CityLab. Researchers are developing "a network of sensors that will track...

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Public transit is about urban planning, not cutting traffic

Great story in Politico magazine about The Train That Saved Denver. Key take-away: Public transit development isn't simply about helping ease automobile traffic, although that's often how it's billed....

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