Interviews
Streetsblog Basics
Traffic Justice Q&A With Bronx Prosecutor Joseph A. McCormack
Continuing our series of interviews on the topic of traffic justice, today we hear from Joseph A. McCormack.
July 8, 2009
Back to the Grid, Part 2: John Norquist on Reclaiming American Cities
As mayor of Milwaukee from 1988 to 2004, CNU President John Norquist made urbanism and livability top priorities. Some of his most notable achievements centered on the redevelopment of highway corridors with street grids and infill, culminating with the demolition of the Park East Freeway in 2002 -- one of the largest voluntary highway removal projects undertaken in America. Other projects, like the introduction of a light rail system, never reached fruition.
March 30, 2009
Back to the Grid: John Norquist on How to Fix National Transpo Policy
The news coming out of Washington last week jacked up expectations for national transportation policy to new heights. Cabinet members Ray LaHood and Shaun Donovan announced a partnership to connect transportation and housing policy, branded as the "Sustainable Communities Initiative." The second-in-command at DOT, Vice Admiral Thomas Barrett, told a New York audience that "building communities" is a top priority at his agency.
March 26, 2009
Shaping the 2009 Transpo Debate: Rockefeller Foundation’s Nick Turner
American transportation policy has not fundamentally changed since gasoline cost a nickel a gallon and President Eisenhower started building out the Interstate highway system. Today, with gas prices through the roof, gridlock grinding our cities to a halt and many Americans feeling trapped in barely affordable, far-flung, exurban homes, it’s clear that our 1950’s-era transportation system is failing.
October 23, 2008
If Mayors Ran America …
In 2004, after John Kerry and John Edwards conceded a second term in the White House to George W. Bush, the editors of Seattle's liberal-tarian weekly The Stranger published an essay entitled "The Urban Archipelago," calling on urban Democrats and their political candidates to unite on issues relevant to cities, where the majority of Americans live. Though an enjoyable read, most of the essay isn't suitable for print on a family blog, but here's a representative passage:
January 15, 2008
MTA Chief Lee Sander Gets Megamodal
The Fall 2007 issue of the NYU Rudin Center's New York Transportation Journal is out and for anyone looking to delve into some wonkish, big picture, regional transportation policy issues, it's worth a download.
November 30, 2007
Congestion Pricing Q&A With Rohit Aggarwala, Part 4
DOT's Dani Simons and City Hall's Director of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability, Rohit Aggarwala, at a joint hearing of Manhattan Community Boards 4, 5 and 6 on July 9; one of many public hearings where Bloomberg Administration officials have met with communities to discuss congestion pricing. Tonight, Brooklyn Community Board 6 hosts a similar public forum.
September 20, 2007
Congestion Pricing Q&A With Rohit Aggarwala, Part 3
Rohit Aggarwala, New York City's Director of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability, sat down to answer some of the more frequently asked questions about Mayor Bloomberg's proposal for a three-year congestion pricing pilot program. Below is the third part of our four part interview. Here is Part 1 and Part 2.
September 19, 2007