Author: APCSC

 

 

http://www.streetfilms.org/revisiting-donald-appleyards-livable-streets/

“Fixing the Great Mistake.” This video explores three studies in “Livable Streets” that measured, for the first time, the effect of traffic on our social interactions and how we perceive our own homes and neighborhoods.

“Fixing the Great Mistake” is a new Streetfilms series that examines what went wrong in the early part of the 20th Century, when our cities began catering to the automobile, and how those decisions continue to affect our lives today.

 

 

“Increasing the number of people living and working in an area can generate huge benefits for a city – if managed well. Productivity rises as people spend less time and money travelling and can share knowledge and ideas more freely. Businesses can reduce production costs when they have access to more suppliers and workers. And it’s cheaper to provide services such as health care, waste collection and transport when more people use them.

But there are also risks. For the first time, researchers have estimated the monetary value of these benefits, finding both positives and negatives for urban residents. Their findings are published in the first working paper from the Coalition for Urban Transitions, a network of more than 20 organizations committed to enhancing the economic, social and environmental performance of cities.”

http://thecityfix.com/blog/london-illustrates-the-benefits-and-risks-of-compact-growth-sarah-colenbrander/

 

“A more compact city is not a silver bullet, however: there are also risks associated with increasing population density. Careful urban planning is required to mitigate these risks, and deliver the potential economic and environmental benefits.

First, a 10 percent increase in the number of people living and working in an area can lead to more congestion, with an estimated cost of $35 per person a year. Significant investment in public transport, cycling lanes and pedestrian walkways is essential to ensure that people can move around the city without cars.

Second, this increase in density increases housing costs by $240 per person per year. Such growth in housing prices might benefit people who own their own homes or rent out property, but it is a challenge for renters. As low-income households are more likely to rent, there is a risk that compact city policies exacerbate inequality.”

Governments can avoid an increase in housing costs through policies to increase housing supply. A steady flow of new homes coming on to the market can have a downward effect on housing prices, which may outweigh the upward effect caused by increasing population density.”

Acknowledging the growth of population in the city and the need to maintain and encourage diversity in existing neighborhoods, Asbury Park is currently developing affordable housing in Springwood Ave.

The Renaissance Village Set To Begin Construction

Asbury Park is working on making the city safe and accessible for pedestrians and bicyclists, and we will see continued improvement in livability and business.

In cities all over the world there is a proven an economic benefit.  Many European cities have vast walking plazas filled with people socializing, shopping and dining…and zero cars.

Janette Sadik-Kahn former transportation commissioner for New York City says:

“We changed the city from places people wanted to park to places people wanted to be – street space to seat space,” she said. “On 23rd St, where three streets meet, we created 65,000 sq ft of public space. People choose to sit on the street rather than the park.”

“For decades the simple act of walking was largely overlooked by city planners but, no matter how you choose to get around your city, the chances are that you are a pedestrian at some point during the day.”

“North American, Australian and Canadian cities, which were built for cars, have the challenge of retrofitting walking infrastructure.”

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/sep/12/walkable-city-worlds-most-new-york-melbourne-fes-el-bali?CMP=share_btn_tw

Exciting development which will also include safer transportation for residents around the city.

Mayor “Moor has said the two projects also fall in line with the Interfaith Neighbors Turf Club project that will bring 20 additional units along Springwood Avenue across from Springwood Avenue Park. What makes the Turf Club project unique is that it will not only offer many first time home buyers an affordable option but an adjacent income property. The 10 duplex format will be developed in phases with each owner occupied home featuring a ground floor one bedroom unit and second story two bedroom option.

Construction to upgrade the sewer line under the Springwood Avenue railroad crossing is set to get underway during the same time frame.

“Springwood Avenue in the next year will be worse than Sunset Avenue when the bridge was being rebuilt because there will be jack and boring the railroad tracks,” he said at a recent Asbury Park Homeowners Association meeting.

Among the collaborative efforts, will be to look at sharing project development needs to stay costs and ensuring an unencumbered route of travel for neighboring residents and houses of worship in the area, he said.”

The Renaissance Village Set To Begin Construction

 

http://asburyparksun.com/the-renaissance-village-project-closes/

A Sidewalk Talk series that explores some of the major advances in urban technology, design, and policy across history — from Roman sewers to real-time transit.

“Take the safety bicycle. After bursting onto the scene in the late 19th century as a great new form of personal transportation, the bike gave rise to the Good Roads Movement, which by urging better road creation ironically made it easier for cars to conquer city streets. Only today, as cities prioritize bike infrastructure and embrace bike-share technology, has cycling started to fulfill its initial hopes of mobility freedom.”

https://medium.com/sidewalk-talk/15-innovations-that-shaped-the-city-d20e4e77702c?mc_cid=295de0a898&mc_eid=f9a30e01e0

The mission of PARK(ing) Day is to call attention to the need for more urban open space, to generate critical debate around how public space is created and allocated, and to improve the quality of urban human habitat.

Draft Outlines Goals – Public Response: 7 p.m. Sept. 18 at City Hall

The planning goals include the following:

Protect and enhance the quality and enjoyment of the City’s residential neighborhoods through policy and regulation that promotes quality of life and minimizes negative impacts from the City’s tourism and other economic development activities.

 

http://asburyparksun.com/master-plan-reexamination-report-unveiled/?utm_source=Events+9-7-17&utm_campaign=events+8%2F24%2F17&utm_medium=email

“Back in the 20th century the auto industry criminalized the act of walking by inventing the idea of “jaywalking,” so in this sense the concept of the “Petextrian” is basically “Jaywalker 2.0.”  Yes, pity the poor innocent motorist, responsible to a fault yet beset on all sides by hapless bipeds:

That’s funny, because I’m often startled by how oblivious the driver of a 4,000-pound vehicle can be when they’re bearing down on me as I’m crossing the street or riding my bicycle.”

https://www.transalt.org/bike-forecast/2017/06/september-7th-2017-propaganda

This article from Transalt is linked to this one we posted today:

If You Build It They Will Come

“Cycling is like a piece of magic: It only has advantages.”

“Biking saves medical costs since biking contributes to people’s overall physical activity levels, and getting sufficient physical activity prevents against many noncommunicable diseases, including obesity, Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and some types of cancers,” Dr. Carlijn Kamphuis, the study’s lead author, wrote in an email exchange.

Frans Jan van Rossem, Utrecht’s head of bicycle programming, put it another way. “Our revenue is healthy people, less traffic and beautiful living,” he said.

The project’s cost, $48 million, was paid not just by the municipality, but also by the region and the national train service, which recognizes that increasing the availability of bike parking leads to an increase in riders.

Utrecht, like many other European cities, spent several postwar decades trying to make automobile use easier.

The effort included building a four-lane highway over centuries-old canals, making space for parked cars on its narrow cobblestone streets, and planning for a highway that was to cross the medieval city’s cathedral square.

Decades later, the concept of progress looks quite different.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/06/world/europe/bicycling-utrecht-dutch-love-bikes-worlds-largest-bike-parking-garages.html?_r=0

Only 1 month before Asbury Park will analyze problem streets and intersections,  We need your input!

Existing Conditions Analysis Complete – October 2017!

We hope you will take a few minutes to indicate the streets and intersections you think need attention on the interactive map on the link below.  You can also see where others have made their observations.

 

“The City of Asbury Park was awarded a Local Technical Assistance grant from the NJ Department of Transportation to conduct a Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan for the City on April 18, 2017.  NJDOT assigned consultant WSP to lead the development of the plan.  Steering committee meetings, focus groups, public meetings and a public input “WikiMap” are the community outreach efforts for the project.  The goal is to produce a comprehensive plan for pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure that is achievable and serves ALL residents of the Asbury Park community – all ages and abilities.”

Provide your input here:

WikiMap Community Input

 

http://www.cityofasburypark.com/topic/index.php?topicid=93&structureid=87