urban planning

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New cars are getting 1.2cm longer and 0.5cm taller each year
4 days ago
- New cars are growing in size: average length increases by 1.2 cm per year, height by 0.5 cm, and width by 0.5 cm.
- Two future scenarios are compared: the current ever-bigger trend and a right-sizing scenario returning to 2015 levels by 2040.
- Under the current trend, cities could lose 8.5% to 14% of on-street parking spaces by 2040.
- Road safety worsens: 2,600 additional vulnerable road user deaths, including 79 children, by 2040 under the current trend.
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In the footsteps of Robert Moses
6 days ago
- Robert Moses, a powerful urban planner, built extensive infrastructure in New York including parks, bridges, and highways but often prioritized cars over people, leading to negative social impacts.
- His early achievements like Jones Beach and Long Island parks were impressive, but his later projects caused displacement, environmental damage, and segregation through low overpasses that blocked buses.
- Moses's controversial projects included the Gowanus and Cross-Bronx Expressways, which destroyed neighborhoods and displaced thousands, while his vision for car-centric cities influenced other U.S. cities like San Francisco and Seattle.
- The author reflects on Moses's legacy, noting his power and permanence but also the harm caused, as seen in Randall's Island and the flaws of his planning philosophy.
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Road Width Extremism
6 days ago
- Author changed from anti-car to advocating narrow inner roads (~1.5 cars wide) with no on-street parking.
- Taipei has a grid of major roads (6-8 lanes) and small neighborhood streets where cars yield to pedestrians.
- This two-tier system provides clarity: cars dominate major roads but are guests on minor roads.
- Barcelona's superblock project aims for similar effect but retrofitting existing medium-large roads.
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The American suburbs are better than you think
20 days ago
- The author, who prefers dense urban living, acknowledges that American suburbs have advantages that appeal to many people.
- Suburbs do not necessarily force long commutes; Americans have relatively short commutes due to polycentric urban layouts and faster car travel compared to public transit.
- Research indicates suburbs are not lonelier than cities; social connections often form through repeated interactions with known people, facilitated by larger homes and cars.
- Millennials and families are increasingly moving to suburbs, partly due to high urban rents but also because suburbs offer better conditions for raising children, such as more space and convenience.
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urban planning

New cars are getting 1.2cm longer and 0.5cm taller each year

In the footsteps of Robert Moses

Road Width Extremism

The American suburbs are better than you think