Urban Design

Trash, Rats, and Parking: Why NYC and Boston Make Garbage Choices

How NYC and Boston's obsession with curbside parking keeps streets full of trash bags and rats, and why Amsterdam-style containerization is the obvious fix.

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Big Cars, Small Freedom

How oversized SUVs and pickup trucks are sabotaging walkable cities, safety, and climate — and why we need to deflate the big-car arms race.

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Loud Cities, Quiet Streets

Urban noise pollution comes overwhelmingly from cars, not cities themselves—and we already know how to design quieter, healthier streets.

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Barcelona’s Superblocks: When Traffic Lanes Became Public Squares

How Barcelona’s superblocks reclaim streets from cars, cut pollution and noise, and spark fierce debates about business, gentrification, and the right to the city.

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How Car-Dependent Grocery Trips Turn Into Food Waste

How car-based supermarket runs encourage overbuying and food waste in the U.S—and how bikeable, dense neighborhoods flip the script.

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Growing Up on Two Wheels: How Independent Mobility Builds Healthier, Happier Kids and Teens

Evidence from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and beyond shows that kids who walk and cycle independently gain physical, cognitive, and mental health benefits that last into adulthood.

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Staying Upright, Staying Independent: How Everyday Mobility Protects Health in Older Age

From walking speed to bicycle trips to the shops, everyday mobility is one of the strongest predictors of health, independence, and quality of life in older adults.

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Super Commuters and the Price of Distance in the American Dream

How housing costs, megaregions, and policy choices turned long commutes and super commuting into a normal part of American life—and what it would take to live closer to everything again.

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