By Jean Crowther, Planning Associate, Alta Planning + Design Part 1 of this topic discussed the meaning of walkability and why it matters. However, even for communities where citizens and elected officials rally behind the value of walkability and are ready to make improvements, it can be difficult to know where to start. Here is […]
By Derek Hofbauer, Dana Dickman, and Jessica Roberts, Alta Planning + Design “Oh, I just bike to work — that’s not exercise!” “I walk between meetings a lot, but that’s not the same as being active.” “This is a transportation project, not a public health project.” People don’t often make the link between transportation and public health […]
By Jean Crowther, Planning Associate, Alta Planning + Design What is walkability? The most basic definition is simply, “the ability to walk.” However, true walkability is so much more than that. It can affect everyday decisions and quality of life in ways you may not even realize. Last week my husband realized that he often […]
By Sam Piper, Senior Designer and Kristen Maddox-O’Toole, Planner Every planner and engineer working on an active transportation project wishes they had better bicycle and pedestrian data. The ability to access more robust data helps communities: Determine where investments in walking and biking infrastructure are most needed Assess changes over time, draw conclusions about the […]
By Ryan Johnson, Senior Planner, Alta Planning + Design If there is any drawback to living the dream of being an active transportation planner, it’s that the payback can be slow. It often takes years or even decades for a plan to come to fruition. That’s not the case, though, when developing an education and […]
The end of the year is a time for reflection on progress, as well as a time for looking toward the future and the accomplishments yet to come. We will ring in our 20th anniversary in this new year with the joy of witnessing how activating communities can lead to physical, social, and environmental health […]
by Joe Gilpin, Principal at Alta Planning + Design At Alta, we believe the protected intersection will become a standard treatment in 2016. To help achieve this, we are releasing a white paper on protected intersection design guidance, sharing what we have learned helping Salt Lake City with the design of their intersection, as well […]
By Paul Wojciechowski, PE, AICP, LCI, Principal, Alta Planning + Design So you installed low-stress bikeways…now what? For communities across the country, installing low-stress bikeways such as bicycle boulevards or protected bike lanes can be a long, hard road. A ton of work leads up to reconfiguring a roadway. The process of building community and […]
By Phil Goff, LEED AP, Senior Associate, Alta Planning + Design For many of us in the transportation planning and engineering field, nothing beats seeing a project implemented, especially benefiting your friends and neighbors. For me that project is the recent reconstruction of Massachusetts Avenue (Mass Ave.) through East Arlington, where I live. For decades, […]
By Jason Reyes, AICP, Associate, Alta Planning + Design While traveling in October, I was impressed by Switzerland’s wayfinding system for hiking. It’s a simple system, but it is applied consistently in each city and rural area throughout the country is what makes it so useful. They are simply yellow signs that state the name […]
