Angie Schmitt
Angie is a Cleveland-based writer with a background in planning and newspaper reporting. She has been writing about cities for Streetsblog for six years.
Recent Posts
New Transit Line Can Stitch St. Louis Together. But Can It Beat Parochialism?
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It’s been 20 years now since planners in the St. Louis region first envisioned a north-south route for the Metrolink rail system. The region’s rail system is currently oriented in an east-west pattern. Outgoing St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay recently made a move to advance a transit project that would improve access to jobs for residents of economically struggling […]
Beyond Fitness: The Social Benefits of Open Streets Events
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It’s a beautiful thing to witness just how much neighborhood streets can change when you remove car traffic. As open streets events, modeled after Bogotá’s Ciclovía, have spread across the U.S. in the past several years, they’ve brought not just opportunities for physical activity, but a joyful new way to use streets as public spaces. In Milwaukee, this year’s Ciclovía overlapped […]
What Gun Violence and Traffic Violence Have in Common
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The horrific mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando has prompted some soul-searching about America’s ability to take significant steps to curb gun violence. Congress did nothing to control guns after dozens of young kids were massacred at Sandy Hook. Will the loss of 49 innocent lives finally lead officials to take action? The problem […]
Anthony Foxx to Local Officials: Transport Policy Should Tackle Segregation
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Local transportation officials should actively work to reduce segregation and promote equal access to quality schools, three Cabinet members say in a “dear colleague” letter released last week [PDF]. The message from Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, HUD Secretary Julián Castro, and Education Secretary John King urges transportation, housing, and education officials at all levels of government to work together to ensure that people aren’t excluded from […]
A Bike Bell That Maps Where Cyclists Feel Unsafe and Pings the Mayor
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London cyclists who encounter stressful, dangerous conditions can crowdsource a map of weaknesses in the city’s bike network by simply tapping button on their handlebars. Brandon G. Donnelly at Architect This City has more: Hövding — a Swedish company best known for its radical airbag cycling helmets (definitely check these out) — is currently crowdsourcing unsafe conditions and cyclist frustration in […]
Walkable Cities Are More Affordable Than You Think – We Need More of Them
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People living in walkable cities may have high housing costs, but they also tend to have low transportation costs and better access to jobs, according to a new study from Smart Growth America [PDF]. SGA ranked the 30 largest American regions according to the share of rental housing, office space, and retail located in areas with high Walk […]
Philly Advocates Rally to Demand 30 Miles of Protected Bike Lanes
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Philly residents can’t wait any longer for safe bikeways. Yesterday, at a rally in the central city, dozens of people gathered to demand 30 miles of protected bike lanes, and soon. Jim Saksa at Plan Philly reports on the campaign to ensure Mayor Jim Kenney makes good on his promise of better bike infrastructure: The online petition, drafted by urbanist political action […]
Goodbye to the Era of Big Infrastructure?
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Despite the occasional feature story about America’s “infrastructure crisis” and the campaign platforms for increased investment, the “era of big infrastructure is over,” argues University of Minnesota engineering professor David Levinson at the Transportist. With maintenance a more pressing need than expansion, Levinson does not foresee major additions to either the highway system or rail and […]
Texas DOT Seems Open to a Downtown Dallas Highway Removal
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Will Texas embrace a model of mobility that works well for cities, instead of tearing them up with wider highways? A new report from the Texas Department of Transportation indicates that at least in some circumstances, the answer may be “Yes.” TxDOT last week released its “CityMAP” plan for urban highways in central Dallas [PDF]. Normally, you […]
New Jersey May Finally Do the Responsible Thing and Raise the Gas Tax
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For a long time now, New Jersey politicians — first and foremost Governor Chris Christie — have been playing a high stakes game of chicken with transportation funds, doing practically anything to avoid raising the gas tax. Only one other state in the nation has a lower fuel tax than New Jersey. Thanks to inflation, drivers […]
Car Dependence and the Troubling Rise of Subprime Auto Loans
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There have been warning signs about the growth in subprime auto loans for years now. But the issue got some very high-profile attention last week when JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon raised concerns that there may be a bubble in the auto lending market. Since the economic recovery began, lending institutions have actually loosened standards for car loans. The auto […]
Many Americans Live Near Transit, But Few Live Close to Good Transit
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This chart tells an eye-opening story about access to transit in the United States. Using the new data tool AllTransit, TransitCenter dug into who has access to transit in American cities, making a crucial distinction between residents near any transit whatsoever and residents with access to convenient, frequently running service. The analysis encompassed the nation’s 25 largest cities and […]