Brad Aaron

When it comes to promoting environmentally sound transportation, is Streetsblog better than a Prius? If you think so, cast your vote for the Livable Streets Initiative in the Treehugger “Best of Green” contest. There are 17 entries in the “Cars and Transportation” category, ranging from “Best City for Public Transit” (Bogota) to “Best Freight Shipping … Continued

If you're in need of a little comic relief today, try this seemingly subversive pro-jaywalking message from the Muppets.

As livable streets advocates work to make headway in breaking the cycle of American auto dependence, the folks at Planetizen have put together a video narrative that explains how we got here. "The Story of Sprawl," a double DVD set produced by Managing Editor Tim Halbur, is a compilation of historical films dating from 1939 to 1965, documenting the confluence of factors that fostered the quintessential land use motif of the 20th century: far-flung, low-density, driving-intensive residential and commercial development. The discs include commentary from planning notables including Andrés Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, John Norquist, Neal Peirce, James Howard Kunstler and Robert Cervero, featured in the clip above.

Environmentally-conscious citizens of India aren't alone in their concern about the rollout of the Tata Nano, the "world's cheapest car." But in an op-ed piece for Forbes, Projjal Dutta, the director of sustainability initiatives for the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority, writes that American critics should look to their own example if they expect developing nations to follow a more sustainable path.

Today the Streetsblog Network takes us to India, where some fear the recent launch of the highly-anticipated $2,000 Tata Nano — a.k.a. the “world’s cheapest car” — will wreak havoc on the environment and already crowded public spaces. Hard Drive has the story:  Photo via Hard Drive India’s middle class is on the rise, as … Continued

What if news articles of shootings, stabbings and other deaths used the same language normally employed to describe traffic collisions? Today on the Streetsblog Network, David Alpert of Greater Greater Washington points to media coverage of a crash in Culpeper County, VA, as an example of our tendency to view traffic violence as an immutable force of nature.

The Network is abuzz today with the news of the federal Sustainable Communities Initiative, a joint project of the departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, unveiled yesterday by secretaries Ray LaHood and Shaun Donovan. Matthew Yglesias and Ryan Avent have weighed in, as has The Transport Politic, writing:

Today on the Network, more uplifting commentary from Ray LaHood. Posting on his (still unfortunately-named) "Fast Lane" blog, the transportation secretary sings the praises of America's cities as innovative economic centers, and pledges support for urban transportation systems and transit-oriented development.

The Obama administration has warned that misuse of stimulus funds will lower a state's chances of receiving federal help in the future. Today on the Streetsblog Network, however, The Infrastructurist has identified seven road projects in six states (Kentucky has two) that it calls "the most ridiculous new roads being built with stimulus money." In Texas, for example:

The Ad Council has some new material in its campaign aimed at teenage drivers. In these spots, a comedic actor (Fred Willard in the ad above) in the backseat of a car with three teens cajoles or threatens the driver into slowing down or minding the road. The gist of the campaign, corresponding with the title of its web site, is "speak up or else" -- a name perhaps more suited to hard-hitting PSAs from overseas.