Parents and students around the country are organizing into ‘bike buses’ to keep children safe while biking to and from school.

A new movement dubbed by some as “kidical mass” is using power in numbers to create safe, active bike-to-school groups, reports John Surico in The New York Times.
Also known as a ‘bike bus,’ the concept involves groups of adults and children organizing to ride bikes to and from local schools. Bike buses are organized by volunteer parents and advocates, with groups organizing to schedule shifts, collect safety gear, and spread the word to neighbors.
According to Surico, “Research shows that children arrive at school more engaged when they walk or cycle there.” In 1969, close to half of U.S. schoolchildren walked to school. Today, that number is around 13 percent, and many U.S. roads are too dangerous for children to safely get to school on their own.
Surico points out that “For now, bike bus routes tend to exist in whiter and wealthier neighborhoods. When a reporter joined the Bergen route, no children participated for its first mile through Crown Heights, where cycling infrastructure is less accessible.” But parents and other volunteers involved hope that the movement will draw attention to the need for safer pedestrian and bike infrastructure near schools so children can safely use a variety of transportation modes.
FULL STORY: Make Way for the Bike Bus

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

Updating LA’s Tree Rules Could Bring More Shade to Underserved Neighborhoods
A new USC study finds that relaxing Los Angeles’ outdated tree planting guidelines could significantly expand urban tree canopy and reduce shade disparities in lower-income neighborhoods, though infrastructure investments are also needed.

California's Canal Solar Projects Aim to Conserve Resources and Expand Clean Energy
California’s Project Nexus has begun generating electricity from solar panels installed over irrigation canals, with researchers and state agencies exploring statewide expansion to conserve water and boost clean energy production.

HHS Staff Cuts Gut Energy Assistance Program
The full staff of a federal program that distributes heating and cooling assistance for low-income families was laid off, jeopardizing the program’s operations.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland