Streetfilms: NYSDOT Commish on Smart Growth and Stimulus

One thing we’ve learned from the stimulus saga is that many state DOTs still haven’t kicked the highway habit. New York’s state DOT is one of the exceptions: Expansion projects are mercifully absent from its stimulus wish list, according to a recent analysis by the Tri-State Transportation Campaign.

Under Commissioner Astrid Glynn, the agency is building a reputation as one of the country’s more progressive state DOTs. Streetfilms’ Elizabeth Press sat down with Glynn yesterday to discuss smart growth, shovel-readiness, and — stay tuned til the end — how she gets to work in Albany. Keep an eye out for the upcoming Streetfilm on Bronx greenways and the Sheridan Expressway — a prime teardown candidate — projects that are counting on Glynn’s DOT.

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Wiki Wednesday: Better Stimulus Through Highway Removal

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We know plenty of states want to use stimulus funds to expand highway capacity, but how many are looking to jolt their economies with a much-needed freeway teardown? So far as we can tell, the answer is none. Perhaps they should reconsider and take a page from this week’s StreetsWiki entry on highway removal: Streetfilms […]

Streetfilms: A Conversation With Congressman Earl Blumenauer

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Moments after he delivered the keynote address to the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), Oregon’s Rep. Earl Blumenauer, head of the Congressional Bike Caucus, met with us for this exclusive one-on-one chat. Streetsblog Editor-in-Chief Aaron Naparstek talks with the congressman about the current federal stimulus bill and how advocates can better engage their […]

Streetfilms: Signing On to Save Transit

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Last week we saw citizens of Minneapolis explain the many ways they rely on transit service to conduct their daily business. Streetfilms’ Robin Urban Smith captured New Yorkers doing the same, as Transportation Alternatives collected letters to state lawmakers from Queens residents who oppose possible MTA fare hikes and service cuts. If you haven’t yet […]

Streetfilms: Straphangers Tell Albany to Save Transit

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Wednesday was Lobby Day in Albany, and among those descending upon the capitol was a busload of New York City transit riders, organized by the Campaign for New York’s Future, who support East and Harlem River bridge tolls as part of the MTA rescue plan. Before the day was out, the group of some 50 […]

Streetfilms: A Streetside Chat With Jan Gehl

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In November 2006, Danish planner Jan Gehl met Streetsblog Publisher Mark Gorton in Times Square to reflect on the state of the city’s public spaces. In this Streetfilm by Clarence Eckerson, EIC Aaron Naparstek catches up with Gehl in the new Madison Square to talk about what has changed in the intervening two years, and […]

Smarter Stimulus Spending

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So how can states best spend their stimulus money? How can livable streets advocates keep it from going to useless highway widening and other sprawl-inducing projects? Smart Growth America, a key partner in the Transportation for America campaign, has some ideas, which are detailed in a report called Spending the Stimulus (you can find the […]