'Open streets' in Pennsylvania's cities: closing streets to cars, opening them to cyclists and salsa lessons

https://whyy.org/articles/open-streets-in-pennsylvanias-cities-closing-streets-to-cars-opening-them-to-cyclists-and-salsa-lessons

Irina Zhorov

WHYY

28 May 2015

Text / Under 800 Words

Bogotá is largely credited with originating the concept of “open streets” —where city roads are closed to car traffic and given over to people for fun and fitness—but it has grown beyond that city, surfacing in Pennsylvania.

Unmasked! The Mexico City superhero wrestling for pedestrians' rights

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/nov/09/unmasked-mexico-city-superhero-wrestling-pedestrian-rights

Dulce Ramos

Sophie Hughes

The Guardian

9 November 2015

Text / 1500-3000 Words

Clogged with traffic, crippled by poor infrastructure – the capital is notoriously hard to navigate on foot. Enter Peatónito, the activist fighting for safer streets.

The Suburb That Tried To Kill the Car

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/10/evanston-illinois-what-works-213282

Mark Peterson

Politico

22 October 2015

Text / Over 3000 Words

Cars heavily influence building planning in the U.S. due to a historical preference for suburbs, but a town in Illinois improved its economy by thinking like a city. They created transit-oriented development which prioritizes pedestrians and attracts millennials.

Creating an environment that promotes health

http://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/health/2016/05/17/creating-environment-promotes-health/84040720

Lindsey Anderson

El Paso Times

18 May 2016

Text / 1500-3000 Words

In an attempt to address liver disease, diabetes, obesity and other health issues, Brownsville has launched a comprehensive, cohesive approach to promoting health, being named a model for other communities across the country.

How One Weekend in Dallas Sparked a Movement for Urban Change

http://nextcity.org/features/view/how-one-weekend-in-dallas-sparked-a-movement-for-urban-change

Mike Lydon

Next City

20 April 2015

Text / Under 800 Words

A Dallas urban neighborhood was dilapidated with abandoned storefronts and offered no vitality for pedestrians. A group of artists and community members created Build a Better Block, in which local artisans and small businesses took over a vacant block and transformed it for a limited time to encourage the ingredients for more permanent urban renewal.

How Seattle Made Dark Alleys Safer—By Throwing Parties In Them

http://www.yesmagazine.org/happiness/how-seattle-made-dark-alleys-safer-by-throwing-parties-20150826

Araz Hachadourian

Yes! Magazine

26 August 2015

Text / 800-1500 Words

Alleys in Seattle were once places of illicit, illegal, and unsanitary activity. The International Sustainability Institute in Seattle began organizing music and art events to bring in people, which, in turn, cleaned-up the crime and garbage. As an urban development strategy, adjacent vacant storefronts re-opened for business and beautification could be seen in new gardens.

How to Build a Better Neighborhood

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/06/18/how-to-build-a-better-neighborhood

Tina Rosenberg

The New York Times

18 June 2014

Text / 1500-3000 Words

The Oak Cliff neighborhood in Dallas suffered from recession-closed businesses and crime. Then community members used placemaking, in which people shaped their own environment to improve the quality of life, and the concept of Build a Better Block, which was a pop-up event showcasing art, food, music, and local faire. The idea gives citizens a fresh look at the possibilities through which to transform the space in which they live, and it has attracted attention across the country and around the world.

Seniors Take Manhattan

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/01/senior-living-initiatives-ill-take-manhattan-114227#.VYmluvlViko

Debra Bruno

Politico

13 January 2015

Text / Over 3000 Words

Cities tend to be dangerous and difficult places to live for older residents. A private public partnership in New York is catering to seniors through small changes in the city such as para-transit options and seniors-only hours at public establishments.

Why Sweden has so few road deaths

http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2014/02/economist-explains-16

The Economist

The Economist

26 February 2014

Text / Under 800 Words

Sweden's "Vision Zero" program has used a comprehensive approach to infrastructure and regulation to drastically reduce traffic-related deaths, making Swedish roads the safest in the world.

There IS a Bicycle Economy, Two Cities Find

http://www.treehugger.com/bikes/there-bicycle-economy-two-cities-find.html

A.K. Streeter

TreeHugger

2 October 2012

Text / Under 800 Words

Conventional merchants are afraid to lose parking spaces to bike parking or bike lanes. New York and Portland are finding cyclists increase local economies, and spend more money too.