Streetsblog USA

Last week we asked readers to help sort through the highs and lows of the past year in streets and transportation. Here's what rose to the top of the polls, as well as our review of the heroes and villains of 2016.

The Obama administration is taking on the crisis of rising rents in American cities, releasing a series of recommendations today to spur the construction of more affordable housing. Among the many ideas the White House endorses: allowing more multi-family housing near transit and getting rid of parking minimums.

It's been awhile since we recorded a #DamienTalks specifically for the California website, but now we're back with a good one. In this week's edition, Damien Talks with Michael Manville, a professor and researcher at UCLA.

The number of traffic deaths in America each year is so staggering, it almost defies comprehension -- about 35,000 lives lost is the norm. But 2016 is shaping up to be even worse.

When driverless cars hit the market (which may not be as soon as advertised), nobody denies that they will change transportation planning.

Demonstrations against police brutality spilled onto streets and highways in American cities this weekend, with protesters stopping traffic in Baton Rouge, Memphis, St. Paul, Los Angeles, and Oakland.

The horrific mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando has prompted some soul-searching about America's ability to take significant steps to curb gun violence. Congress did nothing to control guns after dozens of young kids were massacred at Sandy Hook. Will the loss of 49 innocent lives finally lead officials to take action?

Philly residents can't wait any longer for safe bikeways. Yesterday, at a rally in the central city, dozens of people gathered to demand 30 miles of protected bike lanes, and soon.

Sometimes the worst transportation plan is having no plan at all, and northeast Ohio could be the poster child for what goes wrong when regions aren't intentional about investments in transportation infrastructure.