NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL
While the nation continues to grapple with a troubling housing market and a rash of mortgage defaults, new research has emerged drawing a direct link between “location efficiency”—a measure of the transportation costs in a given area—and mortgage foreclosure rates. The study shows that factors such as neighborhood compactness, access to public transit, and rates of vehicle ownership are key to predicting mortgage performance and should be taken more seriously by mortgage underwriters, policymakers, and real estate developers.
Posts Tagged ‘IL’
Reducing Foreclosures and Environmental Impacts through Location-Efficient Neighborhood Design
Friday, June 10th, 2011Dear Chicago: Make biking, walking safer
Friday, April 1st, 2011If you’ve ever ventured out into one of Chicago’s famous six-corner intersections, you know the streets don’t always feel safe. The facts bear this out. In 2009 there were over 4,500 crashes between Chicago drivers and pedestrians or cyclists, 35 of which were fatal. This is according to the Illinois Department of Transportation, which tracks traffic statistics.
View this complete post...Creating Convenient Cycling in Chicago
Wednesday, March 9th, 2011CYCLINGMOBILITY
To the uninitiated, Chicago seems like an unlikely place for cyclists, and with good reason. It’s big: with almost 3 million residents, it’s the third largest city in the United States. It’s intimidating: Chicago’s nearly 596 square kilometers of land area are latticed with congested streets and highways. And its weather is far from cyclist-friendly: the city’s bipolar climate fluctuates between teeth-chattering, snow-spattering winters and sweat-drizzling, sidewalk-sizzling summers. But even so, this metropolis reached a bicycle commuter mode share of 1.15% in 2009 – an increase of 129% since 2000.
The Intercity Bus: America’s Fastest Growing Transportation Mode
Friday, January 21st, 2011CHADDICK INSTITUTE FOR METROPOLITAN DEVELOPMENT, DEPAUL UNIVERSITY
Intercity bus service in the United States remained robust through 2010 as a result of rising travel demand, escalating fuel prices, and investments in new routes. These and other factors propelled motor coach travel to its highest level in years and made the intercity bus the country’s fastest growing mode of transportation for the third year in the row.“Curbside operators,” including BoltBus, DC2NY Bus, and Megabus, which eschew traditional stations in favor of curbside pickup and provide customers access to Wifi and other previously unavailable amenities, enjoyed particular success. Express services linking major cities in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states grew at a particularly rapid rate.
The Uncertain Future of the High-Speed Rail Program
Tuesday, January 4th, 2011The Illinois Department of Transportation has reached a cooperative agreement with Union Pacific and Amtrak that will permit the release of a $1.1 billion federal high-speed rail grant to the state of Illinois to fund passenger rail improvements between Chicago and St. Louis. The agreement was proclaimed by state and federal officials as “historic” and hailed as “one giant step closer to achieving high-speed passenger service between Chicago and St. Louis.” But stripped of its rhetoric, the announcement only reveals how inadequate and cost-ineffective the Administration’s “high–speed” program is turning out to be.
View this complete post...Video: Twin Groves Wind Farm and Carlock Construction
Wednesday, October 20th, 2010120 Vestas V82 Windmills are scattered throughout the country side just east of Bloomington Illinois. At a cost of $1.6 Million each they provide power to 60,000 homes. Another 100 turbines are being erected at Carlock. White Oak Energy Center is between Peoria and Bloomington. This video shows the Twin Groves Wind farm and some of the new construction at Carlock.
View this complete post...Connecting the Midwest: How a Faster Passenger Rail Network Could Speed Travel and Boost the Economy
Monday, September 20th, 2010ILLINOIS PIRG
In building a 21st century economy, the Midwest is hampered by an outdated transportation system. Congested airports and crammed highways hinder travel around the region. As the main source of our dependence on oil, our transportation system leaves us vulnerable to oil price spikes and pollution…Intercity passenger rail in the Midwest can be part of the solution.
Climate Change and Bicycling: How bicycling advocates can help craft comprehensive Climate Action Plans
Tuesday, September 14th, 2010LEAGUE OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS
Bicycling advocates can help shape Climate Action Plans to include pro‐bicycling policies. Using case studies and examples from existing plans, this report examines: 1. how pro‐bicycling policies have been written into the Climate Action Plans of states, cities, and universities, 2. examples of plans that include bicycling, 3. how bicycling advocates can best support these efforts, and 4. how to ensure that governments follow through on the promises made in their plans.
Chicago’s Plans for a High-Speed Airport Link Revived Thanks to Investor Interest
Monday, August 23rd, 2010Chicago, perhaps like no other city in the United States, has set itself apart as a center of trade, and recently that has been expressed in the growth of its two airports, O’Hare and Midway. With the resurgence of passenger rail promoted by the Obama Administration, it may be able to reassert its dominance in that field; it will sit at the confluence of three upgraded intercity rail lines already at least partially funded: One to St. Louis, another to Detroit, and a third to Milwaukee and Madison.
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