Inside the On Ramp: This School May Have America’s Worst Location

What do you want in a school for your children? Safe surrounding streets? A quiet environment for learning? Plenty of green space for outdoor play? How about a highway ramp encircling nearly the entire school…?

Top StoryBen AbramsonAugust 17, 2023schools, children, safe and productive streets, highways, ohio, end highway expansion Be the First to Comment

Somaliland Minecrafters Show How Children Can Play a Role in Urban Design

In Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, children are invited to share their input on how public spaces should be designed, using a popular video game.

Edward Erfurt, Top StoryEdward ErfurtJuly 21, 2023urban design, urban planning, children Be the First to Comment

3 Trade-Offs Parents Make Living in Suburbs Vs. Cities

We’ve created a society in which families have to choose between either spread-out, single-family living or dense urban living—and each side of this (artificial) binary can come with upsides and downsides.

Owens, Top StoryTiffany Owens ReedMay 30, 2023children, suburbs, suburbanization, suburban experiment, suburban development pattern, car culture, traditional development pattern, cars, car dependency 15 Comments

Silly Rabbit, Streets Are for Kids

Signs that plead for drivers to not run over children don’t actually do much to prevent crashes. In an age where streets belong to cars, however, what can we do to protect our kids?

Top StoryWill GardnerMay 22, 2023safety, children, speeding, speed, enforcement, pedestrians, safe and productive streets 8 Comments

Top of the Bottom-Up: Taking Matters Into Our Own Hands to #SlowTheCars

After the local government did nothing, this Strong Towns advocate bought a dangerous road in her community and made it safer.

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsJanuary 5, 2023The Bottom-Up Revolution, Hawaii, children, walkability, taking action, safe and productive streets Be the First to Comment

Want To See the World’s Best Library of 2022? Look No Further!

Public spaces are an important investment, and as an example of a public space done right, look no further than Missoula, MT, which is home to the world’s best public library of 2022.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Top StoryKarla TheilenOctober 9, 2022neighborhood storyteller, libraries, public space, children Be the First to Comment

Our Kids Shouldn’t Solve the School Bus Driver Shortage by Walking Through “Death Valley”

Just like last year, we’re facing a bus driver shortage. Some are asking why our kids can’t just walk, bike, or take public transit to school, but the answer isn’t that simple.

Top StoryJay StangeAugust 25, 2022Safe Routes to Schools, children, schools, bus, buses, transportation, pedestrians, safe and productive streets, safety 3 Comments

When It Comes to Child Safety, We Deserve Better Than Car Seats

With a baby on the way, I’ve been lectured multiple times about safe car seats, and heard nothing about how to minimize the most dangerous activity people do with their children: drive.

Top StoryRachel QuednauAugust 8, 2022children, car culture, car dependency, cars, auto-oriented, car crash, walkability, transportation, safety 13 Comments

Henderson Highway Blues

A mother reflects on the fears she faces while navigating a dangerous highway with her children, as pedestrians.

Top Story, Emma Durand-WoodEmma Durand-WoodAugust 5, 2022highways, canada, pedestrians, walkability, children, safe and productive streets, safety 1 Comment

If We Build Cities for Kids, We Build Cities for Everyone

Can you walk down your local streets with your kids—without gripping their hands and anxiously eying traffic—and feel comfortable and relaxed? If not, something’s wrong with the design of those streets.

Top StoryJay StangeAugust 3, 2022safety, children, streets, Street Design, design, walkability, pedestrians, safe and productive streets 2 Comments

Burned Into Memory: Community Building in a Remote Fire Tower?

This week, our Neighborhood Storyteller gets an unexpected—and delighted—visitor at her fire lookout tower.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Top StoryKarla TheilenJuly 26, 2022neighborhood storyteller, community, children, montana Be the First to Comment

Our Year Without a Car (With Kids)

It’s not easy to live without a car when you have young children, but it’s certainly possible. Plus, having to walk can help you build unexpected connections with your community.

Top StoryGrace OlmsteadJuly 19, 2022walkability, children, bus, buses, community, public transportation, europe 9 Comments

Keeping Tabs on the Community Bulletin Board

This week, our Neighborhood Storyteller reflects on ways she stays connected—at least in spirit—with her community, even when she’s physically far away.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Top StoryKarla TheilenJuly 19, 2022neighborhood storyteller, community, children, pets, radio, neighborhoods Be the First to Comment

What’s the First Sign of a Safe Street?

How many kids feel safe playing on your local street?

Top StorySeairra JonesJuly 5, 2022children, play, public safety, streets, pedestrians, safe and productive streets, safety 4 Comments

"We Won't Raise Our Kids in Suburbia"

In this Not Just Bikes video, Jason Slaughter explains how raising children in the suburbs significantly restricts their ability to be independent.

Top StoryJay StangeJune 23, 2022suburbs, suburban experiment, suburban development pattern, suburbanization, Not Just Bikes, children, safety, car dependency, car culture Be the First to Comment

Luke Crosswalker: Tactical Urbanist

When people were speeding at a neighborhood crosswalk, this neon hero stepped in to #SlowTheCars and protect local children on their way to school.

Top StoryDanielle RichardMarch 11, 2022schools, pedestrians, tactical urbanism, children, traffic engineering, safe and productive streets, safety 1 Comment

The Bottom-Up Revolution Is...Turning a Historic Synagogue into a Community Cultural Center

Rabbi Donna Berman leads a community center serving neighbors in Hartford, CT.

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsFebruary 10, 2022taking action, The Bottom-Up Revolution, education, children, revitalization, homeless Be the First to Comment

The Hidden Inequity of Car-Based Design

For significant populations of people in the U.S., the requirement to drive is a major barrier to participating in city life.

Top Story, OwensTiffany Owens ReedSeptember 27, 2021car culture, car dependency, seniors, children, cars, suburban development pattern, pedestrians, stroad 8 Comments

The School Bus Driver Shortage is a Problem We Didn't Have to Have

Schools across the U.S. are experiencing a bus driver shortage, but the root cause of this issue has less to do with the COVID pandemic than one might think.