Traffic Calming — A Radical Idea in 1995

November 29, 2016

By Cynthia Hoyle, Planner, Alta Planning + Design When the American Planning Association agreed to publish the Planning Advisory Service (PAS) report on Traffic Calming in 1995 it was considered a very radical concept. I took graduate coursework in transportation engineering and planning in the mid-1980’s and streets were very emphatically to be designed to […]

Safety Campaign in Santa Ana

January 26, 2016

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 […]

Community Organizing for a Complete Street in Arlington, MA

December 1, 2015

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, […]

Living Car-Free in LA: Social Events

March 6, 2015

by Ryan Johnson, Planner, Alta Planning + Design During my seven years in Los Angeles living car-free, I’ve often surprised friends or new acquaintances when I show up for a conference, happy hour, or another social event without a personal automobile. “Wait, you didn’t take the I-10 to get out to the Westside?!” they’ll ask. […]