The shifting geography of sprawl

Sprawl appears to be decreasing in North America. That is, new development is adding to the share of gridded or connected streets in the street network. However, in other parts of the world, new development is increasingly taking the form of gated communities, cul-du-sacs, and other disconnected street network designs indicative of sprawl—so say the authors of a paper recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

U.S. traffic fatalities rise while international numbers improve

A new report by the International Transport Forum highlights how the United States is losing the battle to reduce traffic fatalities, while other countries improve their safety records. Out of 41 countries contributing to the International Traffic Safety Data and Analysis Group, most reported a reduction in traffic fatalities between 2010 and 2016. The U.S. was in the small group that had an increase. And in an interview, Neil Arason from the British Columbia Ministry of Health discusses about why Canada has a better traffic safety record than the U.S.

Canada to purchase land for new Detroit bridge before U.S. funding set

Determined to keep the New International Trade Crossing moving forward, Canada has announced they will begin purchasing property in the distressed Delray neighborhood of Detroit. While Canada is already planning on paying for almost the entire bridge, including the approaches and connections to the interstate in Michigan, it has been waiting for U.S. funding assurances for the customs plaza on the Detroit side. Frustrated by a lack of a commitment by the U.S., consul-general Roy Norton told the Detroit Free-Press that Canada feels the project is too important to delay any further.

The ACEEE international Energy Efficiency Scorecard (American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, 2012)

This report analyzed the energy efficiency of 12 of the world’s largest economies in four areas including the transportation sector. They used 27 metrics roughly divided between evaluation of quantifiable results and policies. Download the …

ACEEE finds U.S. ranks last in energy efficiency in transportation

A new report from the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy finds that, among 12 major world economies analyzed for the report, the U.S. ranks dead last in the energy efficiency of its transportation sector. Improving transportation’s energy efficiency hinges on supporting multiple modes of transportation and can be accomplished by dramatically improving the accessibility of other transportation modes such as rail, carpooling, bus, biking, and walking. Without adoption of new policies and standards, the U.S. transportation system will continue drag on the economy, wasting energy and limiting opportunities for economic development. The ACEE graph below shows how the U.S. transportation sector energy consumption far outstrips that of the other countries evaluated as part of the study.

Infrastructure 2011: A Strategic Priority (Urban Land Institute and Ernst & Young, 2012)

Based on extensive research and interviews with industry leaders, this report surveys global infrastructure trends and activities in 2011, then examines in depth current U.S. infrastructure policy and the outlook for meeting the nation’s significant repair and rebuilding challenges.