Oct 10
I recently ran across this 2008 column that was published in the Idaho Statesman. The original Statesman page is no longer available, but the Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho has kept it up (see Statesman reader comments here). While we clamor for more transit, cities like Boise simply haven’t required the kind of development …
Dec 14
These days, the Boise mayor and council seem deeply uninterested in addressing urban decay problems south of the Boise River. Hundreds of Boiseans are at risk of being evicted from rickety trailer parks and hundreds of school children walk to school in dangerous conditions without sidewalks, yet the city is spending huge amounts of energy …
Jul 17
Boise’s second Ignite event was a feast for the mind. Hundreds of people packed the Egyptian Theater to hear 16 presenters discuss everything from brain fuction and entrepreneurism to feminism and how the Eagles destroyed rock music. Rizen Creative and the many other sponsors of Ignite Boise should be thanked for supporting such an important …
May 15
Trains have strong romantic appeal, but from a functional perspective, they are hopelessly unable of meeting the needs of a modern sprawling city and its residents’ demand for point-to-point flexibility. That’s starting to sink in, after decades of local planners and wonks hoping for a commuter train system. A story in today’s Idaho Statesman quotes …
Feb 18
There’s been a lot of emotion but not enough light on the issue of a transit center in downtown Boise. Hoping to get the project shovel-ready to take advantage of a federal grant that expires this year, officials from the Ada County Highway District, City of Boise and the Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho …
Feb 06
I was fortunate to attend a Fettuccine Forum last night, where a leading urban policy analyst showed the “drive ’til you qualify” trend actually costs people more. Jacky Grimshaw, vice president for Policy, Transportation and Communications at Chicago’s Center for Neighborhood Technology, presented some fascinating studies showing that higher transportation costs more than eat up …
Jan 28
Yet in those past 15 years there’s been precious little progress toward enforcing transit-friendly development.
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