https://medium.com/@cowsayspow62/how-the-mbta-is-overhauling-its-bus-network-and-what-other-cities-can-learn-from-it-ff161c864387

Hello urbanists of Reddit! Here in Boston, our local transit agency -- The MBTA -- is transforming its bus network through a major redesign, which will bring a myriad of optimizations and enhancements aimed at improving service frequency and quality. In this article, I wanted to highlight some of the routing strategies and operational practices that will deliver these improvements, and explain why the redesign represents a valuable model that cities can follow to improve bus service, and spend transit dollars more effectively. While it doesn’t have the same elegance as the shiney rail line, I would argue the redesign exemplifies a more practical, cost-effective, and realistic project, which will bring immense benefits to riders without requiring tremendous capital investments. In essence, this article advocates for partially shifting the scope of transit advocacy away from costly, (sometimes) overly ambitious projects, and towards more cost-effective initiatives like the bus network redesign, which tend to more easily generate political support, and buy cities more bang for their buck. I know this message will spark some controversy, but I’m asking you to hear me out. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

With shopping streets in small towns struggling due to online shopping and the rise of big-box stores, I’ve been wondering if they can ever really bounce back.

Has anyone come across any interesting community-driven projects that’ve helped breathe life into these areas? I’m especially curious about creative ideas like turning empty shops into event spaces, pop-up shops, or cultural activities.

What have small towns done to make their high streets more appealing again? Any examples of places where things have actually worked? Would love to hear about any successful efforts whether it’s about repurposing spaces or just getting people to return to the town centre.

Hello! For my research class I am conducting research on viewpoints on New Urbanism. If you are an architect or urban planner, or were formally in those fields, could you please fill out my survey? It would be greatly appreciated thank you! https://forms.gle/fT3kp45Z5T15GUXz9

Hi everyone,

Daylighting is a simple yet transformative idea: by preventing cars from parking too close to crosswalks, we can ensure that drivers and pedestrians have clear sightlines at intersections. This one change can drastically reduce accidents, save lives, and make our city feel safer for everyone—whether you’re walking, biking, driving, or just crossing the street with your family.

Intro 1138, the Universal Daylighting bill, is currently being considered by the NYC Council, and it needs our support. This bill has the potential to make every intersection in our city safer, improving the quality of life for millions of New Yorkers.

Here’s how you can help:

💌 Send a kind email to the council members overseeing this bill. It doesn’t need to be long—just let them know why you believe in making NYC safer and better for everyone. Even a heartfelt sentence or two can make an impact.

Email Addresses for Key Council Members:

afarias@council.nyc.gov  

crivera@council.nyc.gov  

cdelarosa@council.nyc.gov  

cbanks@council.nyc.gov  

flouis@council.nyc.gov  

jariola@council.nyc.gov  

jwon@council.nyc.gov  

mnarcisse@council.nyc.gov  

sbrooks-powers@council.nyc.gov  

📝 Sample Email (Feel Free to Use!):

Subject: Please Support Intro 1138 – Universal Daylighting

Dear [Council Member’s Name],

I hope this email finds you well. I’m writing to ask for your support of Intro 1138, the Universal Daylighting bill. This simple but powerful measure will save lives by improving visibility at intersections across NYC. As someone who [walks/bikes/drives] in the city, I know how important safe streets are, and daylighting would make a huge difference in keeping all of us safe.

Thank you so much for considering this!

Warm regards,

[Your Name]

Every email counts, and your support could help bring this bill to life. Together, we can make NYC safer, better, and more welcoming for everyone.

Thank you for taking the time to help! 💙

Some of you may not like what I’m about to say but this needs to be stated. rural people are conservatives offended point out how crowded, dirty, smelly and corrupt big cities are and how they have so many homeless people and criminals and don’t do anything about it, and you guys aren’t going to say or do anything about it? Urbanites will be talking about making cities denser, public transit, bike lanes, affordable housing, etc bit along all of that, should we also make cities cleaner, safer and better? With better zoning, better laws, better rehabilitation programs?

I was raised in both Canada and the US. But for the last 8 years I live where Europe and the Middle East meet (best of both worlds). The cafe culture, and for that matter the restaurant culture, engenders a sense of 3rd place I have not felt since my days of drinking every night at a Texas ice house for a couple of years. When you go to a cafe or restaurant here, it's assumed you have the table for the evening. You don't get any staff to stop at your table unless you really give them a shout. They leave you alone once you have your initial order.

Compare this to the gratuitous gratuity engine that is eateries in North America: they NEED to clear you off their table, because they only get the real money if you leave. Is tip culture why the typical cafe or restaurant will never be a 3rd place? I go out to eat here, and it is assumed a 4 hour extravaganza.

I'm sure some radical souls on this forum are regularly camping out at restaurants. But I remember stories of Turks getting together at a humble Micky-D's in Texas, pushing all the tables together, and talking and eating for hours while the staff lose their minds.

There is that great story about the couple on the East coast who only opens their restaurant one night a month. They rent a commercial kitchen, rent a dining hall, pre-sell the night's meals and drinks. All the guests arrive and there is no ordering, no wait staff. The bill is paid before they arrive. They show up and it is just a party with whoever else showed up. This couple sells every plate every night they are open. What might it mean if North America shot tipping in the face? Pay the staff to be surly and board and to leave the diners alone.

I am a big fan of Not Just Bikes and City Nerd. I was wondering if there are similar YouTube channels in Portuguese, preferably from Brazilian creators.

What is your opinion of this "model", especially the lack of zoning?? It does have semi-affordable housing and has some solutions for homelessness, but for a terrible price environmentally. To its credit, has tried building rail inside 610.

There are studies and articles out there that state freeways are extremely polluting and have a negative impact on health to nearby residents. Intuitively, this makes complete sense. But looking at Air Quality maps such as IQAir, Purple Air, and Air Now, air quality measurements taken near freeways don't appear to be different from measurements taken from parts of the city away from freeways or from suburbs, or even from medium-sized towns a few hours out of the city. (Disclaimer is that I haven't scientifically tracked these numbers, this is me checking multiple times per week over the course of a year. I've been looking primarily at numbers for a select few Midwest US cities) This makes me wonder whether cities are really more polluted and unhealthy than anywhere else in the country.

Have we in the United States made progress in environmental regulations around cars? Compared to when I look as cities in India and China, it definitely appears that cities there have very poor air quality, especially near freeways.

Is air quality a reason to avoid living in large urban areas, or at least near freeways?

I’ve always loved Baltimore’s urban plan. It’s visibly better than most large US cities. If not for all the issues that plague the city, would this not be a top 5 city in the US?