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National Association of Realtors (US): Millennials favor walkable communities
by Beth McKechnie 29 Jul '15

29 Jul '15

Millennials Favor Walkable Communities, Says New NAR Poll Jul 28, 2015, 12:46 ET from National Association of Realtors <http://www.prnewswire.com/news/national+association+of+realtors> http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/millennials-favor-walkable-communit… WASHINGTON, July 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Millennials prefer walking over driving by a substantially wider margin than any other generation, according to a new poll conducted by the National Association of Realtors® and the Transportation Research and Education Center at Portland State University. The *2015* *National Community and Transportation Preference* *Survey* <http://www.realtor.org/reports/nar-2015-community-preference-survey> found that millennials, those aged 18-34, prefer walking as a mode of transportation by 12 percentage points over driving. Millennials are also shown to prefer living in attached housing, living within walking distance of shops and restaurants, and having a short commute, and they are the most likely age group to make use of public transportation. The poll also found that millennials show a stronger preference than other generations for expanding public transportation and providing transportation alternatives to driving, such as biking and walking, while also increasing the availability of trains and buses. Millennials likewise favor developing communities where people do not need to drive long distances to work or shop. "Realtors® don't only sell homes, they sell neighborhoods and communities," said NAR President Chris Polychron, executive broker with 1st Choice Realty in Hot Springs, Ark. "Realtors® aid in improving and revitalizing neighborhoods with smart growth initiatives, helping create walkable, urban centers, which is what more Americans want in their neighborhoods. While there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all community, more and more homebuyers are expressing interest in living in mixed-used, transit-accessible communities." As a whole, the survey found that Americans prefer walkable communities more so than they have in the past. Forty-eight percent of respondents reported that they would prefer to live in communities containing houses with small yards but within easy walking distance of the community's amenities, as opposed to living in communities with houses that have large yards, but they have to drive to all amenities. And while 60 percent of adults surveyed live in detached, single-family homes, 25 percent of those respondents said they would rather live in an attached home and have greater walkability. When choosing a new home, respondents indicated that they would like choices when it comes to their community's transportation options. Eighty-five percent of survey participants said that sidewalks are a positive factor when purchasing a home, and 79 percent place importance on being within easy walking distance of places. Women in particular value walkability in their communities, with 61 percent indicating that having sidewalks with stores and restaurants to walk to is very important. When it comes to respondents' thoughts on transportation priorities for the government, 83 percent indicated that maintaining and repairing roads and bridges should be a high priority, with expanding roads to help alleviate or reduce congestion as the next highest priority, at 60 percent. While consumers' top two concerns are related to driving, over half of survey participants stated that expanding public transit and providing convenient alternatives to driving should also be high priorities. TREC's research on active transportation and urban housing choices provided a foundation to build upon in working with NAR for this poll. "It's great to work with an organization that reaches so many professionals and has such an effect on people as they decide where to live," said Jennifer Dill, director of TREC. "This poll shows again how strong a role transportation plays in housing decisions." The survey of 3,000 adult Americans living in the 50 largest metropolitan areas was conducted by American Strategies and Meyers Research in May 2015 and analyzed by researchers at Portland State University. TREC, the Transportation Research and Education Center at Portland State University, produces timely, practical research useful to transportation decision makers and supports the education of future transportation professionals. TREC houses the National Institute for Transportation and Communities, the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation and the Portal transportation data archive. The National Association of Realtors®, "The Voice for Real Estate," is America's largest trade association, representing 1 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries. *Information about NAR is available at **www.realtor.org* <http://www.realtor.org/>*. This and other news releases are posted in the "News, Blogs and Videos" tab on the website.* **

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AT Webinar Reminder: How Rapid Transformation Delivers Bike-Friendly Streets, 2-3pm, Wed, July 29, EcoCentre
by Beth McKechnie 28 Jul '15

28 Jul '15

*** Friendly reminder about tomorrow's webinar *** Green Action Centre and Bike Winnipeg invite you to join us for a local viewing of the APBP and Green Lane Project webinar: *How Rapid Transformation Delivers Bike-Friendly Urban Streets*. The webinar viewing takes place in the EcoCentre boardroom (3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave) and will be followed by group discussion of local applications. RSVPs appreciated but not necessary. Hope to see you then! cheers, Beth ** * * * ** How Rapid Transformation Delivers Bike-Friendly Urban Streets *Wednesday, July 29th, 2-3pm, EcoCentre <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> Boardroom* Explore how the concept and practice of rapid implementation is evolving and has altered the way cities develop and deliver urban street projects. This webinar previews a new report from PeopleForBikes on the institutionalization of real-time transportation programs and shows how the techniques are becoming embedded as normal practice within city governments. A developing project delivery technique is transforming the way cities put new bicycle facilities on the ground. Presently identified with pilot projects and rapid implementation, real-time transportation programs are progressing rapidly from outlier status to status quo. PeopleForBike’s research indicates that no two cities have established and evolved these programs in quite the same way, suggesting that the technique is flexible and easily adaptable. The report also delves into the role of leadership and different scenarios for selling the approach. This webinar reviews the origins of rapid implementation and discusses institutional settings, relationships with other parts of transportation, planning and public works departments, the process of project development, relationship to capital programs, and emerging issues. Speakers from Pittsburgh and Seattle provide insight based on their cities’ experience. *Speakers:* - Dongho Chang, City of Seattle - Jon Orcutt, PeopleForBikes - Kristin Saunders, City of Pittsburgh

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Changes to TOD ordinances in Chicago
by Patman, David 27 Jul '15

27 Jul '15

Interesting ideas in Chicago: Increasing the area zoned for TOD & making it acceptable to provide bike parking instead of vehicle parking... http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-cta-housing-bicycles-0727-biz-201… David Patman, P. Eng. Transit Planner Winnipeg Transit | Service Development Division 421 Osborne Street | Winnipeg, Manitoba R3L 2A2 P: 204-986-5737 | dpatman(a)winnipeg.ca<mailto:dpatman@winnipeg.ca>

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AT Webinar: How Rapid Transformation Delivers Bike-Friendly Streets, 2-3pm, Wed, July 29, EcoCentre
by Beth McKechnie 23 Jul '15

23 Jul '15

Green Action Centre and Bike Winnipeg invite you to join us for a local viewing of the APBP and Green Lane Project webinar: *How Rapid Transformation Delivers Bike-Friendly Urban Streets*. The webinar viewing takes place in the EcoCentre boardroom (3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave) and will be followed by group discussion of local applications. RSVPs appreciated but not necessary. Hope to see you then! cheers, Beth ** * * * ** How Rapid Transformation Delivers Bike-Friendly Urban Streets *Wednesday, July 29th, 2-3pm, EcoCentre <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> Boardroom* Explore how the concept and practice of rapid implementation is evolving and has altered the way cities develop and deliver urban street projects. This webinar previews a new report from PeopleForBikes on the institutionalization of real-time transportation programs and shows how the techniques are becoming embedded as normal practice within city governments. A developing project delivery technique is transforming the way cities put new bicycle facilities on the ground. Presently identified with pilot projects and rapid implementation, real-time transportation programs are progressing rapidly from outlier status to status quo. PeopleForBike’s research indicates that no two cities have established and evolved these programs in quite the same way, suggesting that the technique is flexible and easily adaptable. The report also delves into the role of leadership and different scenarios for selling the approach. This webinar reviews the origins of rapid implementation and discusses institutional settings, relationships with other parts of transportation, planning and public works departments, the process of project development, relationship to capital programs, and emerging issues. Speakers from Pittsburgh and Seattle provide insight based on their cities’ experience. *Speakers:* - Dongho Chang, City of Seattle - Jon Orcutt, PeopleForBikes - Kristin Saunders, City of Pittsburgh

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CBC: Helmet camera catches close call between Winnipeg cyclist and bus
by Beth McKechnie 23 Jul '15

23 Jul '15

Helmet camera catches close call between Winnipeg cyclist and bus A close call caught on camera between a Winnipeg cyclist and bus has a cycling instructor calling for the bus driver to be fired. "It was definitely scary," said Al Paul, who captured the incident on a camera mounted on his helmet. Paul said the near hit happened at about 7:10 am Monday morning when he was commuting by bike to his downtown job. *Full article and video*: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/helmet-camera-catches-close-call-bet…

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Rossland BC drops speed limit to 30km/h
by Beth McKechnie 23 Jul '15

23 Jul '15

Rossland, B.C. Speed Limit Dropped To 30 Km/H http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/07/22/rossland-bc-speed-limit_n_7852790.h… A southeastern city in B.C. is bucking the trend to raise speed limits and is actually slowing traffic down to 30 km/h. The city of Rossland, B.C. <http://www.rossland.ca/new-speed-policy-rossland> announced the local speed limit change last week. Maximum speeds in the city are dropping to 30 km/h, with schools zones and narrow streets at 20 km/h and drop-off areas at 15 km/h. The changes are in response to years of public safety concerns, as well as part of the traffic calming effort in the area, according to a city news release. "Council took a look at it, and we decided that yeah, 30 kilometres an hour is plenty fast <http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/rossland-speed-limit-drops-t…>," Rossland Mayor Kathy Moore told CBC Radio. It's also meant to encourage people to walk or ride bikes more often. Despite the slower pace, the city said nearly everyone will be able to reach a main provincial highway within three minutes of leaving their home. Last summer, the provincial government raised the speed limit on some highways <http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/07/02/highway-speed-limit-bc_n_5552447.ht…> to 120 km/h from 110.

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Metro: Winnipeg's new pedestrian and cycling strategy, by the numbers
by Beth McKechnie 14 Jul '15

14 Jul '15

Winnipeg’s new pedestrian and cycling strategy, by the numbers By Colin Fast <http://metronews.ca/author/cfast/> http://metronews.ca/voices/your-ride-winnipeg/1425450/winnipegs-new-pedestr… As council prepares for its final (God willing) debate over the city’s new pedestrian and cycling strategy on Wednesday, it’s a good time to look at some of the key numbers surrounding this initiative: *— $334 million. *That’s the total price tag for the strategy. While it sounds like a lot, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, that‘s spread out over 20 years to build multi-use paths, greenways, protected bike lanes, sidewalks and pedestrian bridges all over town. And second, that funding might never actually materialize, as city council would have to approve capital funding for active transportation projects every single year based on what money is available in the budget. And while opponents say that’s too much to spend on bike paths, here’s another number to keep in mind … *— Five billion.* That’s what the city’s Transportation Master Plan will cost in the next 20 years. And that’s not for fixing existing infrastructure — that’s for new roads, bridges, underpasses and rapid transit lines. So that means walking and cycling projects only account for about 6.7 per cent of the total transportation wish list, which is a lot lower than … *— Nine per cent.* That’s the current share of Winnipeggers who use walking or cycling as their primary form of transportation each morning, according to that very same Transportation Master Plan. So it appears the city isn’t proposing to spend “too much” on active transportation, but actually not enough. The problem gets even worse when you consider this statistic … *— Forty-seven per cent.* That’s the percentage of Winnipeggers who said in a phone survey they would cycle more often if the city built more separated bike lanes. That’s right, this strategy wasn’t just created by a cabal of consultants and cycling elitists on Twitter, but actual scientific polling was done to figure out whether people were interested in biking and walking more. Speaking of walking … *— Fifty-three per cent.* That’s the share of people who said they would walk more often if the city filled in the gaps in the cycling network. And if the city actually goes ahead with this plan, maybe they could walk to one of … 3,800 new construction and engineering jobs. According to a University of Massachusetts study, cycling projects create 11.4 local jobs for every $1 million spent, while pedestrian projects create about 10 jobs for the same amount of money. Multiplied by $334 million, that’s a lot of additional employment and economic activity. Interestingly, the same study said road projects only generate 7.8 jobs for every $1 million. And if all that’s not enough to convince councillors, then here’s one last figure for them: 142 years. That’s how long it has taken for Winnipeg to finally come up with a comprehensive plan to get more people walking and biking. It’s time to get this city moving. *Colin Fast is a communications specialist and freelance journalist in Winnipeg. Out of guilt, he avoided looking directly at his unused bike while writing this column. Find him @policyfrog on Twitter.*

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Playing, with fire: How much risk should we expose our kids to?
by Beth McKechnie 14 Jul '15

14 Jul '15

Letting children slip the leash and engage in risky outdoor play offers huge benefits to physical, emotional and social health, says Mariana Brussoni, an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia’s school of population and public health. Brussoni is lead author of a review of play research published last week in the *International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25023135>*. Overprotective parenting and tediously safe playgrounds contribute to a decline in rough-and-tumble play and a generation of sedentary children. The report concludes: “There is a need for action to slow or reverse the trend in order to promote and preserve children’s health.” http://www.macleans.ca/society/life/playing-with-fire-how-much-risk-should-…

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New reports: Active Cities and State of Walking Movement in Canada
by Beth McKechnie 13 Jul '15

13 Jul '15

Thanks to Jaymi Derrett for sharing the following two new reports: *Designed to Move: Active Cities* A new report, *Designed to Move: Active Cities* <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001sSzFkjCHriLo0e2HUsB-iMemcooqSuaq3xztKCiOEPKs…>, is a blueprint for city leaders in creating an active city, regardless of city size or location. The report shows that cities with physically active populations are not only more economically competitive - they also benefit from increased productivity, improved school performance, higher property values, and improved health and well-being. *State of the Walking Movement in Canada* The State of the Walking Movement in Canada: Survey Summary Report <file:///C:/Users/Owner/Desktop/State-of-Walking-in-Canada-Survey-Summary-Report_final_2015.pdf> is the presentation of findings collected from The State of the Walking Movement in Canada Survey. The survey investigated the practices, resources, and needs of groups and organizations across Canada that promote walking and plan for walkability. Acquiring this information is of timely importance due to the increasing reliance on the private automobile, and increasing rates of chronic illness throughout the country, to which walking can combat. cheers, Beth -- *Beth McKechnie* | Workplace Commuter Options <http://greenactioncentre.ca/>Green Action Centre <http://www.greenactioncentre.ca/> <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> 3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave | (204) 925-3772 | Find us here <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> Green Action Centre is your non-profit hub for greener living. Support our work by becoming a member <http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/>. Donate at CanadaHelps.org <http://canadahelps.org/> <http://canadahelps.org/>

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AT Webinar: Health in All Policies, Wed, July 15th, 2-3:15pm, EcoCentre
by Beth McKechnie 13 Jul '15

13 Jul '15

Green Action Centre and Bike Winnipeg invite you to join us for a local viewing of the APBP webinar: *Health in All Policies*. The presentations will include how this approach can increase prioritization of active transportation and explore different tools for quantifying the health benefits of bicycle and pedestrian projects. The webinar viewing takes place in the EcoCentre boardroom (3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave) and will be followed by group discussion of local applications. RSVPs appreciated but not necessary. Hope to see you then! cheers, Beth ** * * * ** Health in All Policies *Wednesday, July 15th, 2-3:15pm, EcoCentre <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> Boardroom* *Learning objectives: * - Define Health in All Policies - Describe model policies and tools to implement the HiAP approach to active transportation - Identify and understand analytical tools for evaluating the health benefits of nonmotorized transportation investments Health in All Policies provides a way for policymakers – at all levels and across all agencies – to systematically consider health in their policy development efforts. With local government facing tremendous budget constraints, HiAP offers a cost-effective approach that focuses on improving existing programs, policies and projects (rather than creating new programs that require additional funding). Learn how adopting a Health in All Policies approach can result in enhanced collaboration between agencies and increase prioritization of active transportation. California's unique statewide, multi-agency Health in All Policies Task Force is in the vanguard of this new planning approach. Speakers describe how the task force has promoted a coordinated approach to statewide active transportation initiatives, explain how to replicate the HiAP approach in any community, and review a toolkit of model policies to establish Health in All Policies at the local level. The session also identifies and explores different tools for quantifying the health benefits of bicycle and pedestrian projects. *Presenters:* - Sean Co, Toole Design Group - Meredith Lee, California Department of Public Health - Dr. Sandra Whitehead, National Association of County and City Health Officials - Heather Wooten, ChangeLab Solutions

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