Pavement Poet
Advocating for safer streets, smarter cities, and progressive developments to make our world a better place to live for everyone
Blog
Read our pieces on how we can revitalize our communities through better planning, more equitable transit, and by imitating success stories from around the world.
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Bikes are not cars, so we need to separate them
It should go without saying, but bikes are not cars. Though they’re often used for a similar purpose, it’s clear that they are not the same type of vehicle. Yet in the eyes of the law, they are indeed considered the same. According to the state law of Massachusetts, people riding on bikes “shall have…
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The mass transit Americans love is the mass transit that we need to leave behind
America and public transit are two things that don’t really go together well. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, nearly half of all Americans do not have access to public transit. The ASCE gave the US a dismal D- grade for its transit network in 2021, with hundreds of billions of dollars of…
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Disney World’s urban design is great, but it could have been even better
Walt Disney World is one of the most visited places in the world; in 2019, nearly 58 million people visited the four theme parks. And similarly, the same number of people flew into Orlando International Airport in 2023, making it one of the United States’ busiest airports. Disney World presents an interesting dichotomy between the…
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How Japanese parking compares to America – and why we should strive to emulate them
Tokyo is a beautiful city – the bustling streets and flashing neon signs mix with quiet, residential areas condensed to a human scale, a unique blend of cutting-edge architecture and historic temples scattered throughout the metropolis. But there’s one thing you’ll rarely see in photos of Tokyo’s streets that significantly bolster their beauty – parked…
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The last mile problem – and why semi-trucks have no place on our streets
Trucks are vital to the economy and help keep our country running, accounting for nearly three-quarters of all freight movement in the United States in 2022. But there are numerous problems with our trucking industry, with the trucks themselves, and how they interact with our cities. In many places, large semi-trucks drive directly to businesses…
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Sharrows are ineffective, so why do we keep using them?
Biking is good for your health, and it’s an effective form of transportation as well. Of course, that’s only when proper infrastructure is provided to facilitate biking as a viable form of transportation. Across much of America, bicycle infrastructure is seriously lacking. So what do most municipalities in the US do to encourage biking? They…
