Collective Form Weekly - December 14
NYC launches an interactive tree map and community-led efforts to remove urban freeways continue to face opposition from highway builders
Welcome to the third edition of the Collective Form Weekly.
The U.S. Department of Transportation recently published a guide to community engagement for grant funding recipients, and cities are increasingly publicizing more fine-grained urban data online using GIS applications to educate and inform the public.
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Public Involvement in Transportation Planning
The U.S. Department of Transportation recently published a guide to community engagement for grant funding recipients. The goal is to enable project teams to “meaningfully involve the public in various stages of transportation decision-making and build their organizational capacity to do so.”
Community-led efforts to remove urban freeways and reconnect communities continue to face opposition from state departments of transportation that seek to maintain — and in many cases expand — urban freeways that have divided local communities for decades.
NYC Parks has launched the NYC Tree Map, “the most comprehensive and up-to-date living tree map in the world.” It’s an interactive map with data on tree canopy throughout the boroughs, allowing citizens to learn more about their urban forest. Cities are increasingly publishing more fine-grained urban data online using GIS applications to educate and inform the public.
Sticking with NYC, the big apple is launching a citywide office to improve community engagement and naming Betsy MacLean as Chief Engagement Officer, according to a press release from the city.
“Community engagement is a core pillar of this administration. We are committed to ensuring that New Yorkers have the tools they need to better engage with government and access its benefits, but to also do it in a more streamlined, simple-to-use manner,” said Mayor Adams.
In other news…
A research article on the cognitive benefits of livable streets for schoolchildren was recently published in the Journal of Urban Design.
Urban planner and author Jeff Speck writes about the dangers of multilane arterials known as “stroads” in a recent article for CityLab.
The U.S. desperately needs to expand on passenger rail, and the Federal Railroad Administration is stepping up to provide an additional $2.3B in funding.
The New York Times looks at the climate impact of neighborhoods in various U.S. cities.
Present With Insite
Insite is a collaborative GIS (geographic information system) tool for publishing location-based project information and collaborating with citizens.
We’ve designed it to be used for planning and mobility studies that seek to diversify transportation options and foster more transit-oriented and mixed-use development in urban areas.
Read the announcement, and head over to collectiveform.io to sign up for Insite Early Access today.