Educators in Washington, D.C. are expanding on the "Safety Town" concept to teach grade schoolers how to be safe in traffic as well as about street design and the merits of different kinds of streets.
Campers in the Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C., designed and built their own city in miniature to learn about traffic safety and street design. The 12-class program gives kids a chance work with instructors from the Bureau of Good Roads. There they engage in hands-on physical activities to learn about how city streets work and how to move around them safely.
"The Secret Traffic Garden Club engaged children by adding mystery, purpose, and creative fun to street design. But the existing built world itself is a readily-available tool that can be harnessed in such design teaching," Fionnuala Quinn writes for Greater Greater Washington.
FULL STORY: In Petworth, students learn about street design in a “traffic garden”
Zero Traffic Deaths Isn't as Far Fetched as It Sounds
Even supporters of Vision Zero—a goal to eliminate traffic fatalities from roadways adopted by cities and states all over the United States—doubt that such lofty ambitions are possible. But there are plenty of reasons to believe in the cause.
Atlanta Lowers Speed Limits Citywide
Vision Zero arrives in one of the country's most car-centric big cities.
The Deadliest Day for Young Pedestrians
Children are three times more likely to be killed by a driver on Halloween than another day of the year. It's worse for kids between the ages of 4 and 8.
Coming Soon to Ohio: The Largest Agrivoltaic Farm in the US
The ambitious 6,000-acre project will combine an 800-watt solar farm with crop and livestock production.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
Dallas Surburb Bans New Airbnbs
Plano’s city council banned all new permits for short-term rentals as concerns about their impacts on housing costs grow.
Divvy Introduces E-Bike Charging Docks
New, circular docks let e-bikes charge at stations, eliminating the need for frequent battery swaps.
How Freeway Projects Impact Climate Resilience
In addition to displacement and public health impacts, highway expansions can also make communities less resilient to flooding and other climate-related disasters.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
