Tag: vox

• Why cars keep getting bigger

  

  Last week we spoke about parking space dimensions. And my point was that these dimensions can dramatically change parking designs in new developments. In the comment section of this post, you’ll now find a number of examples of how these dimensions vary by city.

  But the reality is that cars do keep getting bigger — at least in this part of the world. In the 1970s, SUVs and trucks made up less than a quarter of new car sales in the US. Today, this number is greater than 80%. It has become the standard kind of car.

  So this week, let’s touch on why this has happened.

  One argument might be that this was just what consumers inherently wanted. But there’s lots of evidence to suggest that this wasn’t really the case; it was instead encouraged by government policy.

  One specific example is the creation of Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards (also known as CAFE). This was first introduced in the 1970s, but importantly, it was done with two different fuel economy standards: one for cars and one for light trucks.

  Since the light truck standard was less onerous (see above chart), this created a strong incentive for car makers to just make and sell more light trucks. And curiously enough, that’s exactly what they did.

  For much more on this topic, check out this comprehensive Vox article by David Zipper.

  2024.04.29

• US public transit ridership since March 2020

  

  Consider the following stat: 65% of all transit trips across the US in 2019 came from just 6 metro areas: New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington, DC, and Philadelphia. Not surprisingly, these are all places with dense and walkable urban centers. In other words, they have built environments that are conducive to the use of public transportation.

  While we know that more people working from home has been bad for transit and that agencies across the world are facing deep holes in their budget, I continue to come back to two things. One, we have not yet reached a post-pandemic equilibrium. We are still making our way back to the office. And two, the single most important thing when it comes to transit ridership is land use.

  If we want more people to take transit, then we need to build our cities accordingly. That means streets people actually want to walk on, and a lot more density.

  2023.03.31

• Raising kids in the city

  This week, Matthew Yglesias of Vox makes the case for raising kids in the city. Spoiler: Driving sucks. Cities have lots to do. And parks can be better than lawns. However, he also talks about why this proposition is becoming increasingly difficult for many families. Here are a couple of excerpts:

  Now the father of a 4-year-old son, I live in Washington, DC, a city that is, mercifully, marginally more affordable than New York, and I wouldn’t want to raise a family any place other than the city.

  But unfortunately, families are disappearing from American cities even as city living in general has become fashionable again for those who can afford it.

  Children cost money. And they take up space. And urban space has become much more expensive — repelling growing families. This suits the proclivities of smug suburbanites just fine, but as someone who grew up in a big city in the 1980s and 1990s when city living was both less fashionable and more affordable, it seems like a tragedy to me.

  I didn’t grow up in the city. Though, I spent time in apartments and other higher density housing. And I don’t have kids. But I find this topic interesting. It’s also an important one. I don’t believe that the childless city is a good thing.

  For the full article, click here.

  2019.09.16

• Electric scooters in Los Angeles

  Bloomberg Businessweek just published this article summarizing the impact that Bird and its electric scooters are having on Los Angeles. Here are a couple of highlights:

  – Bird launched a year ago and is, today, valued at around $2 billion.

  – The company has around 15,000 scooters on the road in Los Angeles. We already know that this is making some/many people grouchy.

  – The cost to rent a scooter is $1 plus $0.15 a minute.

  – LA has an incentive program in place that allows Bird to expand its fleet within low-income areas. Still, their scooters tend to be concentrated in wealthier areas of the city.

  – Beverly Hills is trying to figure out how to handle/regulate these scooters and currently has a 6 month ban in place.

  – Supposedly, you can ride a Bird through West Hollywood but you’re not allowed to park it anywhere.

  The company is based in Santa Monica, so it’s not surprising that they have such a stronghold in the LA market. Still, there appears to be a lot of latent demand for this kind of mobility.

  

  According the US Department of Energy, almost 60% of vehicle trips in the US last year were less than 6 miles. And around 40% were less than 2 miles. 

  So these “last mile scooters” do appear to have a lot of utility. Do any of you regularly use an electric scooter to get around?

  2018.09.19