Today on Streetsblog.net

2951392025_c5a315b489.jpgStreetsblog Network is our brand new clearinghouse of sustainable transport, smart growth and livable streets news, linked from blogs across the country. Here’s a taste of what’s on the site right now.

Seeking Redemption for the Strip Mall. Milwaukee, WI: Is there an upside to strip mall sprawl? Some believe big box stores like Wal-Mart, by forcing small retailers to diversify, make a valuable and necessary contribution to the economy. Where looks at how "the boxscape" might be an asset to a new suburbia.

The Meaning of an American Commonwealth. Indianapolis, IN: What role should the federal government play in ensuring economic health for all regions of the nation? What responsibility do prosperous areas have to those suffering a downturn? Midwesterners and others debate the answer on The Urbanophile.

Also on Streetsblog.net: bike commuting tips, congestion pricing in San Francisco, thoughts from Texas on how to encourage connectivity in subdivisions, and much more.

Photo: austrini/Flickr

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STREETSBLOG USA

From Strip Mall to Neighborhood

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Just how much potential is embedded in the local strip mall with its acres of surface parking? A project in Montgomery County, Maryland, provides a great example of how to transform car-oriented suburban development into a walkable place with a mix of uses. Dan Reed has been tracking the progress of Pike + Rose, a […]

Can You Name the Town?

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Sorry I missed posting last week’s Weekly Carnage everyone. I was out of town, um, visiting the strip mall in the photo above. Every time I leave the city I end up in a place like this: A sea of unused parking spaces in front of a strip mall accessible only by the car with no housing anywhere […]
STREETSBLOG USA

The Road to the Future Is Not a Drive-Thru

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McMansions overlook a strip mall parking lot in Franklin, Wisconsin. (Photo: John Michlig via Flickr) This morning on the Streetsblog Network, a cry of frustration from member blog Sprawled Out in the Milwaukee suburb of Franklin, Wisconsin. Sprawled Out’s John Michlig has been looking at some of the findings from the Brookings Institution’s "The State […]

Reaching Across the Urban-Suburban Divide

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As today’s post from Seattle Transit Blog acknowledges, criticizing the place where someone lives is one of the surest ways to create division and contention when discussing planning issues: Photo by yuan2003 via Flickr. If I criticize a portion of Bellevue’s cul-de-sac development, a commenter is just as likely to deride my urban elitism as […]