A Sidewalk Talk Q&A on energy cost burdens with researchers Constantine E. Kontokosta and Vincent J. Reina.
The challenge of affordability in cities typically focuses on housing and transportation costs, but utilities can also play a significant role. That’s especially true for lower-income households, which often struggle to pay a utility bill while providing other basic needs. The pursuit of more energy-efficient buildings shouldn’t come at the expense of affordability, nor should it undermine environmental justice.
A clearer picture of the role utilities play in urban affordability comes from a study recently published in the Journal of the American Planning Association. Analyzing data from five U.S. cities that passed new energy benchmarking laws (New York, Boston, Cambridge, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.), the researchers found significant economic and racial disparities around utility cost burden. …
New studies of Lisbon and Toronto offer the latest evidence for the power of safe infrastructure to encourage more cycling in cities — and speak to the perils of relying on historical data.
Recent years have seen a surge in bicycle technology as transformative as anything since the penny-farthing gave way to the safety bike. Bike-share systems provide access to bikes without the troubles of parking or storage. Electric bikes boost the length of an acceptable ride far beyond what two tired legs might muster. Bike counters can help transportation agencies evaluate past upgrades and plan for future ones.
But for all these advances, it’s a humble bit of street design that still holds the key to unlocking more riders in cities: bike lanes that keep riders safely separated from cars. Two new case studies — one in Lisbon, one in Toronto — offer the latest (though hardly the first) evidence of the power of bike infrastructure to encourage cycling. …
A new study finds direct evidence that rental property managers effectively screen minority households into parts of a city exposed to greater pollution.
The wave of demonstrations for social justice and equality in the wake of George Floyd’s murder have been a reminder of just how far cities have to go to become truly inclusive — and that any work toward that future must address the structural discrimination that pervades too many aspects of urban life. Sometimes the destructive forms of discrimination are caught on tape, and rouse us to action. But there are less visible instances that happen every day, which are no less destructive.
A new study sheds light on a troubling example of housing discrimination that occurs on a daily basis across American cities. The research, released in a working paper earlier this year (and updated in April), finds that rental property managers in low-pollution parts of a metro area discriminate against inquiries from African American and Latinx households, relative to white households, but that such racial exclusion doesn’t occur in high-pollution areas. This illegal practice effectively segregates minority households into parts of a city exposed to greater air pollution — impeding economic opportunity, restricting housing options, and exacerbating health disparities. …
A Sidewalk Talk Q&A with the urban economist on the challenges of inclusive growth — and the opportunities of urban-tech.
After the financial crisis of 2008, Richard Florida wrote an article in The Atlantic stating that the supposed death of cities was greatly exaggerated. As he looks back at that prediction, he realizes he got it wrong — not because cities didn’t recover, but because they recovered far faster than even he had imagined. “I completely underpredicted the power of the urban revival,” says the University of Toronto urban economist.
So when he hears the same doubts about the future of cities after the Covid-19 pandemic, his concern is that big U.S. cities will once again recover so quickly that they won’t have a chance to address some of the economic inequalities that have made them less affordable and less inclusive in recent years. “What I worry about is this doesn’t stop it [urban revival] at all in the long run,” he says. …
A new study evaluates some common street design interventions that should be in every city’s toolbox.
The Covid-19 pandemic has led many cities around the world to adapt their streets on the fly — mostly in ways that provide less space for cars and more for people. Some have added temporary bike lanes as a transit alternative for essential workers or an exercise option for populations on lockdown. Others have closed entire streets to car traffic so pedestrians can have more room to roam at a safe social distance.
It remains to be seen whether or not such changes will persist as the pandemic fades, especially if city residents flock to their cars out of fear of riding subways and buses. But if the only legacy of these efforts is a greater inclination to test out new street interventions, that would still be a big win for cities. A long line of evidence shows that, even when cities aren’t facing a generational public health threat, street design explorations can improve well-being, social cohesion, sustainable transportation, and other quality-of-life areas. …
A new study estimates some 360 fewer monthly deaths, mostly from reductions in vehicle emissions.
One of the few silver linings of the Covid-19 pandemic and its resulting economic turmoil has been the environmental benefits of shutting down cities. The massive reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is great for the long-term fight against climate change. But improved air quality has a more immediate impact as well, in terms of saving lives.
A new analysis puts a number to that health outcome for the U.S., estimating that more than 360 monthly deaths have been avoided during the outbreak — the result of enormous dips in vehicle pollution and more moderate dips in electricity-related emissions. …
A trove of evidence suggests that, if driving soars when the economy reopens, many lives will be lost to vehicle fatalities and emissions — even long after the virus fades.
China has offered a glimpse into the future since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, and if that insight continues, a lot of Americans will be buying cars pretty soon. Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported a surge in car purchases in Wuhan, the origin of the outbreak, with sales reaching pre-lockdown levels mere days after the city reopened. Trying to explain the rush, one dealer suggested that many people “see personal vehicles as safer than public transport.”
For many Americans, personal vehicles have provided a sense of safety since the start of the outbreak, with people taking to their cars to get a test at a drive-in clinic, pick up curbside groceries, or retreat from the crowded city center. Though driving levels have plummeted during restrictions, history shows that vehicle miles will soar as the economy reopens if fear leads people away from transit, trains, and planes. …
Initiatives like fare incentives, staggered business hours, and real-time crowd data will minimize the risks — and instill confidence.
Some encouraging news: New York, San Francisco, and Seattle — three big coastal U.S. cities hit early by the Covid outbreak — have shown promising signs of reducing the spread of the disease. As these metro areas start to plan ways of safely easing up on pandemic restrictions, their focus will quickly turn to ramping up public transportation. Transit powers these local economies, which together account for 10 percent of the national economy.
Restoring faith in transit is critical to any economic rebound. Buses and trains make up a significant share of all commute trips in these cities: 56 percent in New York, 35 percent in SF, and 23 percent in Seattle, per 2017. If health fears cause significant amounts of would-be riders to drive instead, the result will be massive traffic congestion that drags down the recovery. …
Politics overruled public health judgment, contributing to the worst death rate of any major American city.
A month ago (it feels like a year, no?), we looked back at why some cities fared better than others during the 1918 flu, to help understand the power of local decisions in driving health outcomes during a pandemic. As Covid’s impact becomes clearer, it’s remarkable how much these century-old lessons stood the test of time.
In 1918, cities that implemented strict social distancing measures early on fared best; today, San Francisco’s quick start has driven its success in containing the outbreak. In 1918, cities closer to coal-fired power stations had measurably worse outcomes than those farther away; today, air pollution again seems tied to higher Covid mortality rates. In 1918, social disparities worsened the flu’s impact; today, studies are finding similar inequities in New York, Milwaukee, and other U.S. …
New research finds that the 1930s fundamentally altered the course of American innovation, shifting it from independent inventors into companies. What does that mean post-Covid?
The Covid-19 health crisis has inspired a great deal of local innovation focused on fighting the disease. But the accompanying economic crisis has slowed down promising independent entrepreneurs who’d been on the rise before the outbreak. It’s also brought urban life to a halt — stalling out the chance encounters, face-to-face exchanges, and creative networks that help make cities such powerful engines of innovation.
This question of just how a prolonged economic crisis impacts innovation and entrepreneurship is at the heart of a new study from a trio of business scholars, released as a working paper last week. …
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