Will 70 Million Americans be Stranded in 2030?
A survey released by the American Public Transportation System shows expected but still staggering statistics on the mobility for aging Americans. The survey states that 82 percent of Americans age 65 or older worry that they will be stranded and unable to get around when they can no longer drive. Maintaining independence was rated as “extremely important” for 98 percent of the...
Read MoreAttention Snow-Covered Communities: Shovel Your Sidewalks
Right now I am in the completely snow-covered Midwest. In just about every community I have passed through on this trip I see a common pet-peeve of mine repeated over and over again – sidewalks covered with snow. In Northern Illinois where I have been traveling (visiting my hometown of Sterling, Illinois), it has not snowed for at least several days. The streets are perfectly clear. So why...
Read MoreWalkable Communities A Top Priority in Housing Boom
One of the major trends in the recent housing boom is that home buyers are now purchasing smaller, more urban homes to avoid long commutes, writes James R. Hagerty in a Wall Street Journal article. James Z. Pugash, chief executive officer of a company which finances housing developments, Hearthstone Inc., predicts that American cities will become European-like, with more midrise developments,...
Read MoreThe Ahwahnee Principles for Resource-Efficient Communities
The Ahwahnee Principles are an essential set of guidelines for land-use and community development. Here are the Principles in their entirety courtesy of the Local Government Commission: Preamble: Existing patterns of urban and suburban development seriously impair our quality of life. The symptoms are: more congestion and air pollution resulting from our increased dependence on automobiles, the...
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