Lake Wales is redesigning its car-oriented streets to make it easier for residents to walk and bike.
A small Florida town has adopted a master plan that focuses on providing opportunities for physical activity and movement. The Lake Wales Envisioned plan encourages active living through a built environment that includes safe and comfortable infrastructure for walking and biking that provides access to local businesses, parks, and amenities. “Also, the plan identifies a Big Green Network of open space preservation in corridors surrounding the city, connected by trails to downtown.”
As Robert Steuteville writes for the Congress for New Urbanism, “The city is working on retrofitting automobile-oriented streets, including thoroughfares due for resurfacing.” For example, a five-lane road that only serves 8,000 vehicles per day can be redesigned to include protected bike lanes and roundabouts. Steuteville notes that “The Florida DOT now allows street retrofits to enable more mobility choices when streets are resurfaced.”
FULL STORY: Planning a city that gets people moving
Safe Streets Funding in Jeopardy
The Trump administration is specifically targeting bike infrastructure and other road safety projects in its funding cuts.
Pedestrian-Friendly Cities: The Impact of Walkability Grants
Explore how walkability grants are transforming cities into pedestrian-friendly environments, enhancing urban livability, boosting local economies, and improving public health.
Houston Developers Question Mayor’s Stance on Pedestrian Projects
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Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
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North Texas Transit Leaders Tout Benefits of TOD for Growing Region
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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.
Private Donations Propel Early Restoration of Palisades Playground
Los Angeles has secured over $1.3 million in private funding to restore the Pacific Palisades playground months ahead of schedule, creating a modern, accessible space that supports community healing after recent wildfires.
From Blight to Benefit: Early Results From California’s Equitable Cleanup Program
The Equitable Community Revitalization Grant (ECRG) program is reshaping brownfield redevelopment by prioritizing projects in low-income and environmental justice communities, emphasizing equity, transparency, and community benefits.
Planting Relief: Tackling Las Vegas Heat One Tree at a Time
Nevada Plants, a Las Vegas-based nonprofit, is combating the city’s extreme urban heat by giving away trees to residents in underserved neighborhoods, promoting shade, sustainability, and community health.
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.
Ascent Environmental
Borough of Carlisle
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service