Transit Score

San Francisco Transit Heat Map

Covering more than 40 US cities, Transit Score is a web utility that assesses how well a neighbourhood is served by public transport. Transit Scores are based on schedule data released in a standard format by public transit agencies. To calculate a Transit Score, WalkScore.com assign a "usefulness" value to nearby transit routes based on the frequency, type of route (rail, bus, etc.), and distance to the nearest stop on the route. The "usefulness" of all nearby routes is summed and they normalize this to a score between 0 - 100.

Populist Proof: Commuting is bad for you

Americans with longer commutes suffer higher levels of back pain, higher cholesterol, and higher levels of obesity.

After surveying 173,581 employed Americans over the past year, a recent Gallup-Healthway's survey has concluded that American workers with lengthy commutes are more likely to report a range of adverse physical and emotional conditions, leading to lower overall scores on the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.

Polluted Air

Graph by Martha Klang McGill

Urban Pollution has a major impact on the health of cities' populations and is also a good indicator to the level of combustible engine congestion on the city's road network. Of course, there are issues of industrial activity in the city and also the local climate, but there is no doubt that more focus on a sustainable transport network based on clean energy sources can dramatically improve the air quality of cities such as LA and Houston, Texas.

Does Driving make Americans Fat?

Following on from the issue of the correlation between obesity rates and commuting by car raised in a previous post, Transportation is a Public Health Issue, Good have created this fantastic graphic illustrating the breakdown of the modal share of commuters in the US, state by state.

High Speed Rail in the USA

Promising signs are coming from the United States that the country who gave the world the post-war car-dependent suburban dream is finally dreaming about a future based on sustainable development practices and with high-speed rail at the core. The exhibition invites locals and visitors alike to discover new ideas for establishing sustainable public transportation in LA.

Rail[ways]

"A gap in the agreed order of the city"

After covering design ideas for Chicago's derelict Bloomingdale Line, EcoUrb presents the second installment of our Rail[ways] series where we will be looking at Le Viaduc des Arts in Central Paris, a project widely regarded as an inspiration for the adaptation of many railway lines worldwide, most notably, the recently completed Highline in New York.

10 principles for livable transportation

Last week, the Institute of Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) released 'Our Cities Ourselves: 10 Principles for Transport in Urban Life', a publication co-authored by Jan Gehl outlining “ten keys to building successful cities” and “show[ing] how cities from New York to Nairobi can meet the challenges of rapid population growth and climate change while improving their competitiveness.”

Dublin Pedal Project

Presenting the 'Pedal Project',  a three part absolutely fantastic documentary series from Dublin City TV. The Pedal project is not a documentary – it is an ongoing debate emerging into public view in all its complexity and variety for the first time.

Manchester Velodrome

image: Peter Stephens Photography

Recently, I was lucky to get a chance to cycle around the track at the Manchester Velodrome. While I have seen a few races on tv, it was the first time I have been inside the National Cycling Centre in East Manchester. In fact to be honest, it was the first time I was ever in a velodrome. With a trusty fixed gear bike rented from the center, cycling around the track was a truly exhilarating experience. That said, it did take a bit of getting used to and was somewhat disconcerting at the beginning to do a lap of the track without the need for turning the handlebars!

A GIFT TO "GO"

DEPDC, a non-profit community based NGO working in Thailand on the prevention side of the trafficking of women and children into the sex industry or other exploitative child labour situations, is currently fundraising to provide bicycles as a means of transport to the many children attending it's schools in rural Northern Thailand.

The Cities of China

image: chinographics

It is often quite difficult to come to terms with the scale of China, it's continuing growth and the mass urbanization of it's population. The graph above, created by Chinographics, is a fantastic resource to come to grips with the country's  60 cities with a population of 1million or more. In comparison to this, Europe has just 35 cities with a population of 1 million or more.

And the numbers are only growing. According to the McKinsey Global Institute, Chinese cities are expected to add more than 350 million people by 2030 - that's the entire population of the United States today - which will bring their urban-dwelling population to more than a billion. By then, China will have more than 220 cities with populations of more than a million, and 24 megacities with more than five million inhabitants.

More at worldchanging

FIAT 500 Fold-Up

Folding bicycle made by Compagnia Ducale exclusively for Fiat, designed to fit in the boot of the Fiat 500

Roll up..Roll up, first Peugeot, then Honda and VW followed in quick pursuit and now FIAT has become the latest car manufacturer to roll out it's 'personal mobility device' to accompany it's dinky 500. What sets FIAT apart is that this is not a futuristic hovercraft that sounds like a vacum cleaner, ala Honda, nor is it an electric vehicle made to resemble what Megatron would cycle at the weekends, ala Peugeot, but just a plain old fashioned fold-up push bicycle. This clever device is designed to fit the spaciously challenged rear boot of the 500 and it has dashing looks to match the car's classic styling.

Brussels Central Station Bicycle Flash M....usical!

The first choir flash mob: singing, trial bike & beat box. All together, to promote a good cause, a bicycle event for 11.11.11, a non-profit who fights for a fairer world without poverty.