DC Bike Party on Streetfilms

Rarely does Streetfilms produce videos on bike events or bike culture. They tend to feature policy issues. But Clearance Eckerson was in town to cover other policy related issues in our capital so he stopped by the montly ride.

DC Bike Party recently celebrated their one year anniversary. The ride is a once a month ride with a theme each month. This month the theme was Toga, Toga, Toga.

Gronigen - Holland's cycling city

photo:bugbog.com

This article is a repost from my friends over at the World Carfree Network. The article was written by by Ton Daggers and Jane Harding.

In Groningen, the Netherlands’sixth largest city, the main form of transport is the bicycle. The city is famous for having the highest percentage of bicycle usage in the world. How has Groningen done it? Cycling here, and indeed in much of the Netherlands, is just the norm. The success comes from a series of sound policies which view cycling as an integral part of urban renewal, planning and transport strategy. By providing proper infrastructure and amenities cycling has blossomed over time and today the main 46 routes of the cycling network is used daily by 216,000 citizens. By prioritising and promoting cycling as the main mode of transportation, city planners, local authorities and cycling advocates have played an important part in the city’s reputation as a great place to live. Groningen has a relatively young population of approximately 180,000 inhabitants, which account for a large proportion of the city bikers, but people of all ages opting for two wheels over four. And this is a growing trend. Research by Groningen municipality in 2008 showed a considerable growth of cycling in the last years: an average of 1.4 bicycle trips per person per day in the city, making up more than 50% of the total journeys, a growth of 9% from 2007. In order to further understand the success of the bicycle in Groningen, it is important to look at how urban design and policies have changed over time to make it the leading cycle city we see today.

“Cycling is viewed as an integral part of urban renewal, planning and transport strategy”

History of Carfree Development

The city has a long history of urban developments which have maintained the value of keeping the inner city as a central point for a host of activities: a blend of living, working and shopping which favours pedestrians, cyclists and public transportation over the car. Since the 1960s the municipality has been way ahead in its traffic plans and spatial planning policies; maintaining a vision of a “compact city”and implementing policies which have led to a carfree city centre, with almost all areas easily reachable by bicycle. However, the path has not always been easy.  During the 1950s and 1960s most cities and towns in the Netherlands were making room for vehicles – some even removed bicycle paths in order to free up space for the car.  In Groningen, motorisation was growing rapidly and so was suburban sprawl – there were no restrictions for cars driving through and very few cycle routes leading to the centre. The motorist was king at this time.In 1972, local authorities changed the emphasis of urban planning and development in Groningen.  The centre of the city was to be considered as the “living room”for its people. The basic concept used in urban planning was based on the “compact city”vision, which placed an integrated transport system high on the agenda – for an inner city favouring a combined use of pedestrians, cyclists, buses and other means of public transport. A traffic circulation plan divided the inner city into four sections and a ring road was built, encircling the city and reducing access to the centre by car. The result was an inner city which is entirely closed off to cars, and only possible to travel between sectors by walking, bicycling or using public transport. What has further spurred the use of bicycles over all other sustainable transportation is the huge expansion of the cycle network – there are many traffic free bike lanes from the outskirts to the city centre – making cycling is the most viable mode of transport for most journeys.

Importance of policy
The city treats cyclists with respect. A series of sound transportation policies and investments has maintained a carfree urban space – favouring walking, public transport and predominantly cycling. This has resulted in a major trend away from car-use to bike-use in the city of Groningen. Between 1989 and 2000, € 23 million was invested in cycling infrastructure and the annual amount con-tinues to grow. Investments have also been made to expand the network of cycling lanes, improve the pavements, build bridges for cyclists, and many more bike parking facilities – making cycling faster and more convenient. As cycling is the lifeblood of the city, it has been given adequate space and time to flow safely and efficiently.

During the 1980s and 1990s a car parking policy was strictly implemented. Car parking with time restrictions was introduced in a broad radius around the inner city. Park and Ride areas were created combined with city buses and other high quality public transport. But overall, cycling policy has been central to the traffic plans, which in contrast, car accessibility has been restricted within the city centre.Reaping the Rewards over a long period of time local authorities have made clear choices, however manifold criticised. Traffic circulation plans were based on the concentration of motorised traffic into a limited road space on the outskirts of the city, and developing a very coherent, comfortable and dense cycle network. This is the result of a clear vision of urban development – based on the idea that a city is for its people. Groningen is a compact city, and for now at least, continues to stay this way. For example, newly built neighbourhoods are no more than 6 km from the city centre. Groningen municipality research showed in 2008 78% of residents and 90% of employees now live within 3 km of the city centre. Residential areas are developed with good connections to the city centre and green lungs in between. There are entire housing developments built along major bicycle and scooter “roadways”, massive bike parks everywhere, many roads that are one way for cars but two way for bikes, and special signal phases for bikes.

Groningen in Numbers
Population: 180,000 inhabitants
Size of Groningen: 87 square kilometres
Residents Traveling by Bike: 57%
Average cycling trips each day: 1.4 per person
Number of cycling routes in Groningen: 46
Number using cycling routes each day: 216,000

There are some interesting economic repercussions to come out of replacing space for cars with greenery, pedestrianisation, cycleways and bus lanes. Banning car traffic has boosted jobs and business. Groningen’s economic development has improved, particularly for businesses which were once in revolt against car restraint, but now are clamouring for more of it. The main function of the inner city has become a successful mix of living, working and shopping.

Cycling into the Future Groningen undoubtedly leads the way in the “cyclisation”of European cities, but many others are putting two wheels in motion to follow its example. However, no other European city can match Groningen’s record, where 57% of all trips around the city are on bikes, but in quite a few cities the ratio is rising to a third or more.The impressive high rate of cycling in Groningen can be explained best by consistent urban development and transportation policies based on reclaiming inner city space from cars, making it into a living room for its people. This spatial concept of city development has undoubtedly been rooted in the clear political vision of the Social Democrats for several decades. Such legislative commitments do seem to be the key in getting citizens to kick the car habit. Apart from a political vision, many other actors involved in making Groningen the “World’s Cycling City”cannot be ignored – the cyclists themselves. In a nutshell, the success of cycling in Groningen can be explained as a result of a strong vision for a liveable city for its people.  For more information, please visit: http://www.cyclinginfo.nl/ and http://www.fietsberaad.nl/

The centre of the city was to be considered as the ‘living room’for its people”

Photo courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/truusbobjantoo/2404090966/

Parks from a Manhattan perspective

Justin Davidson  is a classical music and architecture critic for New York Magazine. I thought I would share a New York version of parks and open space given the limitations or advantages of designing in a dense urban setting. Notice the attention to detail. The quality of the park features.

How would you like to see your own parks? Enjoy!

Downtown San Jose builds new parklets in the Central Business District

Work has begun on a new
downtown parket.

This morning I had a chance to witness a new parklet being constructed on San Fernando St. in downtown San Jose in front of Azucar restaurant.  The expanded sidewalk will allow for outdoor dining just in time for Spring.

What's nice is that dinners will not be subject to car fumes and noise due to the planed bike corridor on San Fernando from Diridon Station to city hall.

Show some thanks to your elected city officials and the Department of Transportation for the improvements being made downtown, by stopping to dine downtown. Council member Sam Liccardo's district includes the downtown area.


View Larger Map

This is South Carolina but it could be anywhere USA

Thanks to Chuck Mahron over at Strong Towns with a post of this video. The original productions has been overdubbed into so many permutations, but this is the first I've seen having to do with transportation planners. Enjoy.

Megabus returning to the west coast?

Megabus coming to the Bay Area

My good friend Richard over at Cyclelicious informs me that he spotted a Megabus in San Jose this morning. He says that he spoke with the bus driver who stated that they are doing some test runs in the area. Megabus first launched its U.S. fleet in April of 2006 and currently serves 80 cities across North America.

When the system was running through San Jose I was very impressed. On one occasion I got a $3 ticket and the ride only took around 6 hours from Los Angeles' Union Station to San Jose's Diridon Station (see map). That works out to less than 1 penny per mile at about 60 mph pace!

Megabus used to run a San Francisco to Los Angeles Union Station route about four years ago. The bus used to make a stop right at Diridon Station. So before your groan and compare Megabus to Greyhound bus lets go over some major differences.

Try the new Megabus phone app.

• Megabus is a British based company that currently has bus stops in 37 states and the province of Ontario. 
• Buses are new and immaculate, most are double decker style with on board wi-fi, at seat plug-ins
• Unlike Greyhound they own no property but rely on cities allocating convenient bus stops in high traffic areas.
• Ticketing is all done online.
• The unique feature of Megabus is that the first ticket for a run is always $1 and goes up from there, making the bus line very affordable.
• Unfortunately Megabus does not carry bicycles on board or in the luggage compartment.

 Megabus is extremely popular amoung students in the heavily traveled Washington DC to New York to Boston corridor, competing with Amtrak's Acela train.

 Megabus also has a mobile phone app which you can find using the QR code located on the right. They have an app for both the iPhone IOS systems and the Android system.

I'll try to keep you posted on any details.

Thanks for the heads up, Richard!

Upcoming Cycling Events in the Bay Area - October 11, 2012

Upcoming Events in the Silicon Valley

Bike Party!
Halloween Ride!

San Jose Bike Party - October 19, 2012 8:00pm
The Halloween Ride

Route will be posted the day before the ride

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Bike Party is growing - In the Bay Area .....San Jose, East Bay, and San Francisco.

Also now in Washington DC , Baltimore, Philly Bike Party, Chico CA and Salinas, CA.

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Every Friday at San Jose City Hall....

Bike to Lunch Fridays at 11:55 am. Meet at Bamboo Garden on the South Side of City Hall to ride to a nearby restaurant. Just bring a bike, a lock, some lunch money....and follow the rules of the road. Host John Brazil, San Jose City Bicycle Coordinator.

 

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Just Ride: How to Have More Fun on your bike

Grant Petersen, founder and owner of Rivendell Bicycle Works, will tell you how he got caught up in a racer's lifestyle for more than 25 years, how it took the fun out of riding, how this can happen to anybody, and what he did about it. Come meet this passionate cyclist, who challenges conventional cycling dogma and offers a more satisfying and sustainable approach to riding in his new book, "Just Ride: A Radically Practical Guide to Riding Your Bike".

Three different venues in the Bay Area (for more details)

 

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San Francisco Bike Party
Hardly Strictly Bike Party
Friday, October 5, 2012
(More info) 

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Santa Cruz Open Streets
West Cliff Drive Santa Cruz
Sunday, October 7, 2012 9am-1pm
Free community event. Enjoy West Cliff Drive without automobile traffic. Bicyclists, joggers, strollers, skaters...come one, come all! Streets for people from Lighthouse Field to Natural Bridges State Park.
 More Info

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East Bay Bike Party

Friday, October 12, 2012
(More Info)

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Ride ESSJ - Second Sunday
Ride East Side San Jose
Sunday, October 14, 2012
(More info

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Sunday Streets Berkeley

Sunday, October 14, 2012Open Streets are coming to Berkeley.
Sunday Streets Berkeley will take place on Shattuck Ave for 17 blocks from Rose Street to Haste Street (see map below). It will be a celebration of local businesses and organizations. Storefronts will be unobstructed, and business owners will be encouraged to promote commerce and visibility by setting out seating on the street, hosting activities, and otherwise inviting interest and community.

(More info)

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DC Bike Party
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
(More info) 

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Peninsula Bike Party
Friday, October 19, 2012
(More info)

San Francisco Sunday Streets (Street Closure Event) - Excelsior

Sunday, October 21, 2012 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Mission Street, from Silver to Seneca; Seneca from Mission to San Jose (Tentative) More Info

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Dutch ThinkBike:October 22 & 23, 2012

In an upcoming pair of workshops Dutch diplomats will share their secrets with locals. The Netherlands U.S. Embassy works with cities throughout the U.S. to share best practices and develop environmental friendly transportation networks through the ThinkBike initiative. On October 22 and 23, the City of San Jose will host the ThinkBike workshop San Jose.

The two-day workshop brings Dutch bicycling experts with local planners, engineers, transportation experts and advocates to strengthen bicycling in San Jose....

For more info....

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Reveal the Path: Inspiration on a Bicycle
October 26, 2012

Join REI and ROMP (Responsible Organized Mountain Pedalers) for a screen of "Reveal the Path", a unique adventure film that explores - from the seat of a bicycle- what it means to live an inspired life, however modest or extravagant. filmed across four continents and featuring Tour Divide rage legends, Matthew Lee and Kurt Refsnider. This immersive film will take you to meet the locals in Scotland's lush valleys, Europe's snow-capped mountains, Morocco's high desert, Nepal's rural countryside, and Alaska's rugged coastline. For more information

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Tour De Coop
October 27, 2012
Silicon Valley's first Tour De Coop in western Santa Clara County. The first annual Silicon Valley Tour de Coop,  a self-guided bicycle tour of chicken coops and gardens, announces its call for coops.
The tour is designed to educate visitors about keeping hens, inspire the bike rider and gardener in all of us, and build community. Open to adults and children, the tour will feature various hen houses and breeds.

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Purisima to Half Moon Bay & Back Annual ROMP Halloween Costume Mountain Bike Ride Saturday, October 27, 2012 9:45am Meet, 10:00am Start

This multi-level ride will include a gentle/beginner option, an intermediate ride, and (depending on interest) a harder ride.  Meet us at the Purisima Parking Lot on Skyline Blvd., just north of Kings Mtn Road.

The gentle group will do a short route from the parking lot.
Intermediate and harder groups will ride down to Half Moon Bay and back via Purisima OSP - http://www.openspace.org/preserves/pr_purisima.asp.

This ride is 20-25 miles with 2,300' of climbing, on dirt and approx. 30% paved roads closer to Half Moon Bay.  We ride to a preselected pumpkin patch for pumpkins & a short break before climbing back to the start.  Maps will be provided.
For more information
 

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San Francisco Bike Expo
San Francisco Cow Palace
November 10 & 11, 2012
Doors open at 10 am

The Cycle Showdown is Saturday only. The Bike Expo is 2 days.
- Your pass will be good for both days.
- Doors open at 7 AM for on site registration and move in and ends at 9:30 AM.
- Please come to the right door side of the main entrance to registration. See map HERE.
- Bikes can be left overnight but the SF Bike Expo is not responsible.

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Also note the Guadalupe River Trail will be closed for paving construction soon. The closed portion will extend north of 880 all the way to Gold Street in Alviso. check Twitter for more details.

Too see all rides on the map click the link just below the map. Thanks.

View Upcomming Bay Area Bike Events in a larger map

Campbell's Hacienda Avenue to get new improvements

Campbell's Public Works Department has announced new improvements coming to Hacienda Avenue between Winchester Boulevard and Burrows Road/San Tomas Aquino Road. This project, entitled the Hacienda Avenue Green Street Project, is anticipated to address existing concerns regarding pavement condition, missing sidewalks, improper drainage, as well as pedestrian and traffic safety in a manner that incorporates green street elements and sustainable design concepts.

Current design elements under consideration include:

Design elements to be considered include:

• Street pavement rehabilitation.
• Installation of missing sidewalks, accessibility ramps, and curbs and gutters.
• Installation of landscaped linear parkways along each side of the roadway that will be available to capture and percolate stormwater runoff.
• Reduction of heat island effect through the installation of additional street trees and a reduction to the overall asphalt pavement area.

The project is made possible through a generous grant from the Proposition 84 Chapter 2 Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) Grant Program, administered by the State Department of Water Resources. This competitive grant program provides funding for projects that assist local public agencies to meet the long term water needs of the state including the delivery of safe drinking water and the protection of water quality and the environment. Additional grant funds have also been provided by the Valley Transportation Authority’s Community Design and Transportation Program, which allocates funding on a competitive basis to projects that are creative, enhance connections with transit facilities, employ innovative and high-quality design, improve the pedestrian environment, enhance economic vitality, make better use of the land, infrastructure, and resources, and/or improve community connectivity, liveability, sustainability, and sense-of-place.

View Larger Map
City staff conducted meetings with the property owners along this stretch of Hacienda Avenue to collect additional input regarding the project, which will assist with the conceptual design process. Upon conclusion of the meetings with the adjacent property owners, the conceptual design will be presented to the community for additional review and input.

The following links are also designed to give you more information regarding this project:

• Council Memorandum (5.37 mb pdf) - Presented to City Council at the August 7, 2012 Study Session
• PowerPoint Presentation (4.63 mb pdf) - Presented to property owners
• Notice of Improvement Obligation (NIO) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) (20 kb pdf)

Books I've Read List - September 2012

Waiting on a Train: The Embattled Futre
of Passenger Rail Service

Here is a list of what I have been reading the last year with some on my wish list. The list reads from those that I have most recently read to those which I read up to about a year ago. (As of September 25, 2012)

Books I've Read since January 2011


Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software, Steven Johnson
An Economist Gets Lunch - New Rules for Everyday Foodies, Tyler Cowen
Discovering Your Innner Economist  - Use Incentives to Fall in Love, Survive Your Next Meeting, and Motivate Your Denist, Tyler Cowen
The Little Blue Book: The Essential Guide to Thinking and Talking Democratic -George Lakoff and Elisabeth Wehling
Caltrain and the Peninsula Commute Service : Janet McGovern
27 Powers of Persuasion : Chris St. Hilaire 
City Comforts - How to Build an Urban Village : David Sucher
Open Road- A Celebration of the American Highway, Phil Patton
Oil on the Brain - Petroleum's Long, Strange Trip to Your Tank - Lisa Margonelli
Pedal Power - The Quiet Rise of the Bicycle in American Public Life : J. Harry Wray
Linchpin - Are You Indispensable?, Seth Godin
Meatball Sundae - Is Your Marketing Out of Sync, Seth Godin
Tribes - We Need You To Lead Us, Seth Godin
Purple Cow - Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable,  Seth Godin
Highways to Heaven - The Auto Biography of America: Christopher Finch
Waiting on a Train: The Embattled Future of Passenger Rail Service, James McCommons
Getting There - The epic struggle between road and rail in the American Century : Stephen B. Goddard
The Checklist Manifesto: How to get things right, Atul Gawande
Here Comes Everybody - The Power of Organizing Without Organizations, Clay Shirky
Straphanger: Saving Our Cities and Ourselves from the Automobile, Taras Grescoe
Going Local - Creating Self-Reliant Communities in a Global Age - Michael H. Schuman
Fixing Broken Windows: Restoring Order and Reducing Crime in our Communities, George Kelling and Katherine Coles
On Bicycles: 50 Ways the New Bike Culture Can Change Your Life : Amy Walker
As One - Mehrdad Baghai
Open Leadership - How Social Technology can Transform the Way you Lead : Charlene Li
The Neighborhood Project : Using Evolution to Improve my City, One Block at a Time, David Sloan Wilson.
Rebel Bookseller - Why Indie Business Represent Everything You Want to Fight For, Freom Free Speech to Buying Local to Building Communities - Andrew Laties
Wrestling with Moses: How Jane Jacobs Took On New York's Master Builder and Transformed the American City : Anthony Flint
What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures : Malcolm Gladwell
Metaphors We Live By, George Lakoff and Mark Johnson.
Don't Think of an Elephant, George Lakoff
The Elements of Influence: Introducing the Playmaker's Standard: The New Essential System for Managing Competition, Reputation, Brand, and Buzz : Alan Kelly
Grassroots leaders for a new economy : how civic entrepreneurs are building prosperous communities, Douglas Henton, John Melville, and Kimberly Walesh.
Ignore Everybody : and 39 Other Keys to Creativity, Hugh MacLeod.
Microstyle : the art of writing little, Christopher Johnson.
Behind the dream : the making of the speech that transformed a nation, Clarence B. Jones and Stuart Connelly.
Why We Buy - The Science of Shopping : Paco Underhill
What Women Want - The Global Market Turns Femaile Friendly : Paco Underhill
The Call of the Mall - The Geography of Shopping :Paco Underhill
Changing places : Rebuilding Community in the age of sprawl, Richard Moe and Carter Wilkie
Two Billion Cars: Driving Towards Sustainability, Daniel Sperling
The Organization Man : William "Holly" Whyte (Age of Heretics -Biography)
The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces : William "Holly" Whyte
Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution--and How It Can Renew America : Thomas Freidman
The World is Flat - a brief history of the 21st century : Thomas Friedman
Bowling Alone - The Collapese and Revival of the American Community : Robert Putnum
A Whole New Mind : why right-brainers will rule the future, Daniel H. Pink.
Divided Highways: Building the Interstate Highways, Transforming American Life, Tom Lewis
What the dog saw and other adventure stories, Malcolm Gladwell
Divorce Your Car: Ending the Love Affair with the Automobile, Kate Alvord
Unless it moves the human heart : the craft and art of writing, Roger Rosenblatt
Home From Nowhere : remaking our everyday world for the twenty-first Century (reread), James Howard Kunstler
The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape,(reread) James Howard Kunstler
Blink - The Power of Thinking Without Thinking : Malcolm Gladwell
World Made by Hand : James Howard Kunstler

The Death and Life of Great American Cities (reread), Jane Jacobs
The Economy of Cities, Jane Jacobs
Cities and the Wealth of Nations, Jane Jacobs
The Nature of Economies, Jane Jacobs
Systems of Survival: A Dialogue on the Moral Foundations of Commerce and Politics, Jane Jacobs
Change or Die: The Three Keys to Change at Work and in Life : Alan Deutshman
Outliers - The Story of Success : Malcolm Gladwell
Traffic - Why we drive the way we do, and what it says about us : Tom Vanderbilt
Soft Energy Paths - Towards a Durable Peace, Amory Lovins
Brittle Power - Energy Strategy for National Security, Amory Lovins
Winning the Oil Endgame, Amory Lovins 
Stick Your Neck Out - A Street-Smart Guide to Creating Change in Your Community and Beyond : John Graham
Your Innner Economist - Use Incentives to Fall in Love, Survive Your Next Meeting, and Motivate Your Dentist : Tyler Cohen
Freakonomics - A Rouge Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything : Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
The Privitization Decision: Public Ends, Private Means : John D. Donahue
The Great Inversion and the Future of the American city : Alan Ehrenhalt
A pattern language - towns, buildings, construction : Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, and Murray Silverstein
Introduction to logic and critical thinking : Merrilee H. Salmon
Joyride: Pedaling Toward A Healthier Planet : Mia Birk
The City in Mind: Notes on the Urban Condition : James Howard Kunstler
Two Billion Cars - Driving towards sustainability : Daniel Speriling
Wow Wal-Mart is Destroying America, and What You Can Do About It : Bill Quinn
Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists Are Changing American Cities : Jeff Mapes
Triumph of the city : how our greatest invention makes us richer, smarter, greener, healthier, and happier, Edward L. Glaeser.
Last Child in the Woods - Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder : Richard Louv
Drill here, drill now, pay less : a handbook for slashing gas prices and solving our energy crisis, Newt Gingrich with Vince Haley.
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference : Malcolm Gladwell
The Black Swan : the impact of the highly improbable, Nassim Nicholas Taleb
The Memoir Project : a thoroughly non-standardized text for writing & life, Marion Roach Smith
The Science of Fear - How the Culture of Fear Manipulates Your Brain : Daniel Gardner
The Storytelling Animal : how stories make us human, Jonathan Gottschall
Cadillac Desert - The American West and Its Disappearing Water, Marc Reisner
Special Events and Festivals : how to plan, organize, and implement,Angie Prosser and Ashli
Brew to Bikes - Portland's Artisan Economy: Charles Heying
Green Metropolis: Why Living Smaller, Living Closer, and Driving Less are the Keys to Sustainability : David Owen
The New City State - Change and Renewal in American Cities : Tom McEnery

And Prior
Rules for Radicals, Saul Alinsky (Age of Heretics -Biography)
The Reckoning, David Halberstam (Age of Heretics -Biography)
The Fifties, David Halberstam
The Ecology of Commerce - A Declaration of Sustainability, Paul Hawken (Age of Heretics -Biography)

On my reading list:

Doing More with Less, Burce Piasecki
The Icarus Syndrome - A History of American Hubris, Peter Beinhart (recommended by Chuck Marohn of Stongtowns.org)
The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the Engineers, Visionaries, and Trailblazers Who Created the American Superhighways : Earl Swift
Small is Profitable - The Hidden Economic Benefits of Making Electrical Resources the Right Size, Amory Lovins
Reinventing Fire - Bold Solutions for a New Energy Era - Amory Lovins
Together: The Rituals, Pleasures and Politics of Cooperation, Richard Sennett
Placemaking, Charles Bohl
The Quest - Energy Security and the Remaking of the Modern World - Daniel Yergin
The High Cost of Free Parking : Donald Shoup
ReThinking a Lot: The Design and Culture of Parking : Eran Ben-Joseph
Better Together: Restoring the American Community : Robert Putnam
The Witch of Hebron: A World Made by Hand Novel : James Howard Kunstler
Too Much Magic: Wishful Thinking, Technology, and the Fate of the Nation : James Howard Kunstler
The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century : James Howard Kunstler

Railroaded: The Transcontinental Railroads and the Making of Modern America : Richard White
The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger : Marc Levinson
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York : Robert Caro (Open Road Biography)
Stealth of Nations - The Global Rise of the Informal Economy : Robert Newwirth
Now Your See It - How the Brain Science of Attention Will Transform the Way We Live, Work, and Learn : Cathy N. Davidson
America The Philosophical : Carlin Romano
Small Town Rules - How Big Brands and Small Business Can Prosper in a Connected Economy : Larry J. Molitz & Becky McCray
The Nonprofit Board Answer Book - A Practical Guide for Board Members and Chief Executives
No Way to Run A Railroad - The Untold Story of the Penn Central Crisis : Stephen Salsbury
Derailed - What Went Wrong and What to Do About America's Passenger Trains : Joseph Vranich
End of the Line: The Failure of Amtrak Reform and the Future of America's Passenger Trains : Joseph Vranich
The Powers That Be : David Halberstam 
The Best and the Brightest : David Halberstam 
Supertrains: Solutions to America's Transportation Gridlock : Joseph Vranich
Bold Endeavors - How our Government Built America and Why it Must Rebuild Now : Felix Rhoyhatyn
Moving Millions - An Inside Look at Mass Transit : Stan Fischer
Stuck in Traffic - Coping with Peak-Hour Traffic Congestion : Anthony Downs
Breaking Gridlock- Moving Towards Transportation That Works : Jim Motavalli
Making the Car Pay Its Way: The Case of Minneaapolis Roads : John Biley, Institute for Local Self-Reliance
The Pressue Boys: The Inside Story of Lobbying in America : Kenneth Crawford
The Interstate Commerce Omission: The Public Interest and the ICC : Robert C. Fellmeth
The Pavers and the Paved - The Real Cost of America's Highway Program 1971 : Ben Kelley
The Motorization of American Cities : David J. St.Clair
Superhighways Super Hoax : Helen Leavitt
The Automobikle and American Culture 1986 : David Lewis
The Going Rate - What it Really Costs to Drive : James J. McKenzie World Resource Institute, Washington DC
The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914 David McCullough
The Economics of Competition in the Transportation Industries : John Robert Meyer
The Era of Thodore Roosevelt and the Rise of Modern America : George E. Mowry
Railroads - The Free Enterprise Alternative : Daniel Overbey
No Way to Run a Railroad: The Untold Story of the Penn Central Crisis : Stephen Salsbury
Building the American Highway System: Engineers as Policy Makers : Bruce E. Seely
The Interstate Commerce Commision and the Railroad Industry: A History of Regulatory Policy 1991: Richard D. Stone
Silent Spring : Rachel Carson
Suburbia - It's People and Its Politics 1979 : Robert C. Wood
The Prize - The Quest for Oil, Money and Power : Daniel Yergin (Age of Heretics -Biography)
On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors 1979 : Patrick J. Wright (Age of Heretics -Biography)
What Are People For - Essays : Wendell Berry (Age of Heretics -Biography)
Voluntary Simplicity - Towards A Life That is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich, Duane Elgin  (Age of Heretics -Biography)
A Grunch of Giants : Buckminster Fuller  (Age of Heretics -Biography)
The Worldly Philosophers: The Lives, Times, and Ideas of the Great Economic Thinkers, Robert Heilbroner  (Age of Heretics -Biography)
Let Them Call me a Rebel - Saul Alinsky, His Life and Legacy : Sanford Horwitt  (Age of Heretics -Biography)
The Glory and The Dream,William Manchester  (Age of Heretics -Biography)
The Seven Laws of Money, Michael Phillips (Age of Heretics -Biography)
The Seven Sisters: The Great Oil Companies and the World They Shaped, Anthony Sampson (Age of Heretics -Biography)

Superhighways Superhoax, Helen Leavitt (Open Road Biography)
Interstate: Express Highway Politics 1941-1956, Mark Rose (Open Road Biography)
The Last Landscape, William "Holly" Whyte  (Open Road Biography)

September's Reading List

Cadillac Desert by
Marc Reisner

Any Suggestions?


Currently Reading:
Canals for a Nation - The Canal Era in the United States 1790-1860, Ronald E. Shaw
Cadillac Desert - The American West and Its Disappearing Water, Marc Reisner
The Age of Heretics - Heroes, Outlaws, and the Forerunners of Corporate Change - Art Klein (Tribes Biography)
The Leaderless Revolution - How Ordinary People Will Take Power and Change Politics in the 21st Century, Carne Ross
Ill Fares the Land, Tony Judt  


On my reading list:

Doing More with Less, Burce Piasecki
The Icarus Syndrome - A History of American Hubris, Peter Beinhart (recommended by Chuck Marohn of Stongtowns.org)
The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the Engineers, Visionaries, and Trailblazers Who Created the American Superhighways : Earl Swift
Small is Profitable - The Hidden Economic Benefits of Making Electrical Resources the Right Size, Amory Lovins
Reinventing Fire - Bold Solutions for a New Energy Era - Amory Lovins
Together: The Rituals, Pleasures and Politics of Cooperation, Richard Sennett
Placemaking, Charles Bohl
The Quest - Energy Security and the Remaking of the Modern World - Daniel Yergin
The High Cost of Free Parking : Donald Shoup
ReThinking a Lot: The Design and Culture of Parking : Eran Ben-Joseph
Better Together: Restoring the American Community : Robert Putnam
The Witch of Hebron: A World Made by Hand Novel : James Howard Kunstler
Too Much Magic: Wishful Thinking, Technology, and the Fate of the Nation : James Howard Kunstler
The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century : James Howard Kunstler

Railroaded: The Transcontinental Railroads and the Making of Modern America : Richard White
The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger : Marc Levinson
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York : Robert Caro (Open Road Biography)
Stealth of Nations - The Global Rise of the Informal Economy : Robert Newwirth
Now Your See It - How the Brain Science of Attention Will Transform the Way We Live, Work, and Learn : Cathy N. Davidson
America The Philosophical : Carlin Romano
Small Town Rules - How Big Brands and Small Business Can Prosper in a Connected Economy : Larry J. Molitz & Becky McCray
The Nonprofit Board Answer Book - A Practical Guide for Board Members and Chief Executives
No Way to Run A Railroad - The Untold Story of the Penn Central Crisis : Stephen Salsbury
Derailed - What Went Wrong and What to Do About America's Passenger Trains : Joseph Vranich
End of the Line: The Failure of Amtrak Reform and the Future of America's Passenger Trains : Joseph Vranich
The Powers That Be : David Halberstam 
The Best and the Brightest : David Halberstam 
Supertrains: Solutions to America's Transportation Gridlock : Joseph Vranich
Bold Endeavors - How our Government Built America and Why it Must Rebuild Now : Felix Rhoyhatyn
Moving Millions - An Inside Look at Mass Transit : Stan Fischer
Stuck in Traffic - Coping with Peak-Hour Traffic Congestion : Anthony Downs
Breaking Gridlock- Moving Towards Transportation That Works : Jim Motavalli
Making the Car Pay Its Way: The Case of Minneaapolis Roads : John Biley, Institute for Local Self-Reliance
The Pressue Boys: The Inside Story of Lobbying in America : Kenneth Crawford
The Interstate Commerce Omission: The Public Interest and the ICC : Robert C. Fellmeth
The Pavers and the Paved - The Real Cost of America's Highway Program 1971 : Ben Kelley
The Motorization of American Cities : David J. St.Clair
Superhighways Super Hoax : Helen Leavitt
The Automobikle and American Culture 1986 : David Lewis
The Going Rate - What it Really Costs to Drive : James J. McKenzie World Resource Institute, Washington DC
The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914 David McCullough
The Economics of Competition in the Transportation Industries : John Robert Meyer
The Era of Thodore Roosevelt and the Rise of Modern America : George E. Mowry
Railroads - The Free Enterprise Alternative : Daniel Overbey
No Way to Run a Railroad: The Untold Story of the Penn Central Crisis : Stephen Salsbury
Building the American Highway System: Engineers as Policy Makers : Bruce E. Seely
The Interstate Commerce Commision and the Railroad Industry: A History of Regulatory Policy 1991: Richard D. Stone
Silent Spring : Rachel Carson
Suburbia - It's People and Its Politics 1979 : Robert C. Wood
The Prize - The Quest for Oil, Money and Power : Daniel Yergin (Age of Heretics -Biography)
On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors 1979 : Patrick J. Wright (Age of Heretics -Biography)
What Are People For - Essays : Wendell Berry (Age of Heretics -Biography)
Voluntary Simplicity - Towards A Life That is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich, Duane Elgin  (Age of Heretics -Biography)
A Grunch of Giants : Buckminster Fuller  (Age of Heretics -Biography)
The Worldly Philosophers: The Lives, Times, and Ideas of the Great Economic Thinkers, Robert Heilbroner  (Age of Heretics -Biography)
Let Them Call me a Rebel - Saul Alinsky, His Life and Legacy : Sanford Horwitt  (Age of Heretics -Biography)
The Glory and The Dream,William Manchester  (Age of Heretics -Biography)
The Seven Laws of Money, Michael Phillips (Age of Heretics -Biography)
The Seven Sisters: The Great Oil Companies and the World They Shaped, Anthony Sampson (Age of Heretics -Biography)
Superhighways Superhoax, Helen Leavitt (Open Road Biography)
Interstate: Express Highway Politics 1941-1956, Mark Rose (Open Road Biography)
The Last Landscape, William "Holly" Whyte  (Open Road Biography)