A good read: Streetsblog USA

Do you ever wonder what’s going on at the national level with transportation topics? Looking for well-written, topical, one-stop shop on transportation, place-making, smart growth, or livable streets updates from around the country? Streetsblog USA is a daily news source connecting people to information about sustainable transportation and livable communities.

… cities aren’t waiting around to build safer, more multi-modal streets. Mayors are tossing aside the cars-first approach to transportation policy, local governments are shedding 1960s-era regulations that prioritize space for automobiles above space for people, and grassroots advocates are winning battles to bring down highways. With or without support from Congress, great ideas for city streets are popping up everywhere …

Streetsblog USA is reporting on them. Enjoy!

National and local trends: More Kindergarten to 8th Grade Children Are Walking & Bicycling to School

New research from the National Center for Safe Routes to School shows more kindergarten to grade 8 (K-8) students are walking to and from school across the country.

According to the data, the percentage of K-8 children who walked to school in the morning increased from 12.4 percent to 15.7 percent (representing a 27 percent increase). Similarly, the percentage of K-8 children who walked from school in the afternoon increased from 15.8 percent to 19.7 percent (representing a 24 percent increase). Another significant finding of this research was that the percentage of parents reporting that their child’s school supports walking and bicycling for the school commute from 24.9 percent to 33 percent.

The full report, “Trends in Walking and Bicycling to School from 2007 to 2012,” analyzed parent survey data collected by nearly 4,700 schools located in all states and Washington DC from 2007 through 2012. The complete study and a companion piece for practitioners, “Trends in Walking and Bicycling to School: Takeaways for Building Successful Programs,” is available online here (PDF).

Meanwhile, the City of Portland continues to chip away at their own level of success when it comes to Safe Routes to School: a whopping 41 percent of Portland pupils either walked or biked to school in autumn 2013! Read more at BikePortland.

Webinar on 12/12: Tacoma’s Path to STAR Certification

WEBINAR ALERT

Interested in hearing more about STAR communities from a peer community that has now successfully completed the process?

STAR Communities: Sustainability Tools for Assessing & Rating Communities

Thursday, December 12th from 11am-noon PST Kristin Lynett of the City of Tacoma, WA, will discuss the steps she took to get the city prepared to become the first community certified in the STAR Community Rating System. To register for the webinar, click here. This program will be recorded and shared on STAR Communities’ website for those unable to attend in person.