Urban planning and transportation lessons from Mexico part II: Mexico City

Mexico City’s metropolitan area is home to 22 million people and is as energetic and chaotic as you can imagine. With such a concentration of people, ideas, and economic activity, it has become one of the great cultural, business, and transportation nodes of the globe. From its days as one of the world’s smoggiest locales, the city (also known as “the D.F.” or “distrito federal”) has come a long way in some of its transportation decisions, but has much work ahead of it to improve the quality of life for residents and visitors alike. Continue reading…

Want to shift urban transportation policy? Show people how dangerous the roads are

Kofi Annan said, “Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.” If that’s the case, then why don’t we have accessible and highly visible information on transportation safety in cities? If we only knew the true health and safety costs, wouldn’t we make better decisions on transportation infrastructure and policy? I propose public injury and fatality counters along major transportation routes to make the point. Continue reading…