There isn't a trash can at the bus stop at 700 East and 2100 South, but there is a City Weekly box, and people deposit trash in it

 

Not unlike how kids play on elements in the public environment that aren't designed as play spaces, but they use them because there aren't alternatives, this City Weekly newspaper box is used for trash disposal at a busy intersection with a bus stop with no trash can (nor a shade screen, despite Utah's brutally hot summers).

(Apologize as it's not the best photo.  I forgot to check for resolution after I took it.)

Amenity planning for urban mixed use districts: A dog park for Union Market?

Please clean up after your dog sign, 4th Street NE, Union Market, Washington, DC

One of my forthcoming DC entries is about how it turns out "I was a force for gentrification in the city," even though I never intended that to be the primary outcome.

20 years ago, working to "save Union Market," in which I was a key player but not the lead ("Musing about Union Market on the death of Paul Pascal"), I outlined a concept for a retail plan that would work with what the market was at the time, food sales mostly, with some non food wholesale businesses too.  (* For insight into the campaign to save the market, see the addendum.)

-- "Retail planning and the Florida Market"

Washington Post graphic.

An entry in 2009 made the point that mixing residents and food businesses was somewhat incompatible, that in such situations residents become advocates for reducing the business focus of the area.  

One of the concerns expressed about the New Town redevelopment plan imposed on the Florida Market District through DC City Council legislation is the fact that by putting residents and industrial uses in close proximity, you add all the elements necessary to create significant conflicts.

This happened when people moved into housing built on an old parking lot at the Capitol Hill Hospital on 7th Street and Massachusetts Avenue NE.  And elsewhere in many places.

-- "Putting industrial uses and residents in close proximity can be a problem"

Me leading a tour of the then "Florida Market" in 2008.  Flickr photo by Mr.TinDC.

Being there last week, I think so far there is a reasonable balance between remaining legacy businesses (a minority of the previous number), mixed with new very upscale food businesses and retail including (as opposed to how "back then" the more low income focus of the DC Farmers Market building), and the apartment buildings.

But it's not like I'm there all the time.  So I don't know.

Don't complain about trash and rats when you don't provide waste cans and street and sidewalk cleaning.  Back when old line DC politicos and business interests were pushing their very average shopping and entertainment center approach (think the failed project in Prince George's County that replaced the old Cap Centre Arena), they touted their project as a way to combat rats and trash ("Developer Peddles a New Vision for an Old Market," Washington Post).

What DC Farmers Msrket, now the Union Market building looked like in 2008.  Below 2026.

My response was, the city doesn't provide any waste cans or trash collection services.  If you want to deal with public space maintenance, deal with it.  It's still messy.  But there are trash cans now, and a lot of them.  Maybe not enough and they're probably not emptied enough, but it's way better than before.

Residential housing imposes different demands for public space management and the provision of amenities.  One of the things we never talked about was with the addition of large apartment buildings, even though they provide a lot of recreational amenities on site, there was probably a need to plan for additional amenities and public spaces.

It turns out, of course, that there is great academic research on the topic.  This journal article from Progress in Planning published long after the Florida Market battle, but its conclusions seem particularly apt, "The key to sustainable urban development in UK cities? The influence of density on social sustainability."

► Dense neighbourhoods are more likely to provide good access to services/facilities. 

► Dense neighbourhoods are more likely to provide poor access to quality green space. 

► Residents in denser neighbourhoods are more likely to report feeling unsafe. 

► Generally, less social interaction occurs in denser neighbourhoods.

The point isn't to take such conclusions for granted, but to address the defects/deficits in purposeful ways, building systems that make communities better as a routine outcome.

Dog park potential of this inadvertent corner pocket park on W. 25th Street in Ogden, Utah.

I know I missed this on the H Street plan in 2003.  We should have tried to create some pocket parks on the corridor using parking lots and other interstitial spaces..  

Same with the NoMA plan--I proposed doing one c. 2005 and one was done, but we didn't include much in the way of amenities if I remember correctly.  

The NoMA business improvement district, once it was created, made that a major focus ("NoMA revisited: business planning to develop community," "(In many places) Public improvement districts ought to be created as part of transit station development process: the east side of NoMA station as an example," 2016).

Was in Ogden yesterday and they--because they did so much damage with urban renewal--have a lot of these kinds of spaces in their downtown area.  But land being at a premium in DC, it's harder.

Placemaking as a necessary element of property development.  The best informed property developers recognize the importance of integrating amenities into developments.  Although my line about it they do it only to make money, and so will only invest in such so long as the marginal return is positive, in terms of reduced vacancy of apartments and commercial spaces, with high retention rates.

-- "New trends in making offices attractive: high quality amenities | Downtown place values" (2025)

-- "How Gabriel Chipperfield beautified Bayswater," Financial Times (use archive.ph for access)

-- "ULI report: The Case for Open Space Why the Real Estate Industry Should Invest in Parks and Open Spaces" (2024)

-- "As office-centric downtowns struggle, suburbs cater to the laptop crowd," Washington Post

From the FT article:

Placemaking is nothing new. The idea of designing urban space for humans rather than cars took hold in the 1960s, and the term describing the process of creating buzzy, people-centric districts gained traction in the ’70s. What used to be the domain of urban planners, however, is now deemed an essential strategy in property development. It’s no longer good enough to fill a building with people, you need to curate a vibe around it. 

This, of course, has less to do with civic duty than the eventual payoff: it is much easier to fill developments in pleasant surroundings where shops, restaurants, schools and creative spaces are on the doorstep. Not all get it right: the development of London’s Elephant and Castle has led to heavy criticism of extreme gentrification and placing profit over people. King’s Cross, meanwhile, with its glass-encased offices, dining destinations and art college, Central Saint Martins, is widely viewed as a success story.

Chipperfield is thankful for a private equity partner who agreed to sink “a couple of million” into retail ideas that “might not make money”. In reality, the projects are commercially successful.

As far as dogs go, I remember touring new buildings in NoMA 15+ years ago and being shocked at how the buildings included wings where dog owners could live, and on site facilities, like dog washing.  But still, dogs need to be walked and that imposes demand for different kinds of accommodations outside of a building. 

Downtown amenities need more focused consideration | Mixed use districts require recreation center planning.  WRT parks planning, I wrote about this in terms of different needs for different scales ("Another example of the need to do comprehensive parks, recreation and civic assets planning at multiple scales, including neighborhoods like Columbia Heights," 2019).

It didn't specifically discuss Downtown.  Earlier, I wrote about this when a related item was before the Zoning Commission.  Back then, apartment buildings downtown successfully lobbied for a change in zoning requirements for them to reduce the amount of required recreational amenities.  They probably do provide some because people want them.

WHAT I suggested is that they should have had to pay recreation impact fees and the city should have created recreational amenities downtown.  Specifically, a recreation center.  At the time, there had been a YWCA at the corner of G Street and 7th Streets NW across from the MLK Library and Gallery Place, and it was unusual in its set of amenities as having a full sized pool.  But they sold it off and no such facility open to the public exists there.  

Similarly, this happened with the old YMCA building on Rhode Island Avenue NW just west of Dupont Circle.  They sold it off for the money, but I would have redeveloped the site, but with the inclusion of a new urban recreation center as part of the project, mixing civic and for profit functions, but vertically.

Mixed use commercial and residential districts are often ignored when creating such facilities.  Eg in DC there are plenty in the outer part of the city.  But not in the core.  In Salt Lake City, the County provides recreation centers although the city may fund the buildings.  But there are at least two serving core areas.  There could be more.  Although here residents including us, may be close to rec facilities in the county but not in Salt Lake--we go to one three miles away in Millcreek, but now I mostly go to the Wagner Jewish Community Center--it's closer and as I build my stamina again, it's an easier bike ride, etc.

Later in my writings about Silver Spring, I suggested creating a combined recreation center, arena, and roof top athletic facilities ("Creating the Silver Spring/Montgomery County Arena and Recreation Center (+ and a roof-top athletic field?)").  Something like that could be done in downtown districts, not just in DC but across the country.

General amenity planning in mixed use districts.  Writing about the post covid initiative to convert "unneeded" office buildings to housing and to attract more residents, I called for program planning to integrate a wider range amenities into Downtowns.  Although this should be extended to mixed use districts like Union Market or The Wharf.

-- "The unintended consequences of converting office buildings to housing: the need for public safety; schools; amenities" (2022)
--"What is the competitive advantage for the post-covid city? Doubling down on place values"(2022)
--"Downtown St. Paul needs 20,000 more people to thrive | implications for urban revitalization in the post covid city" (2024)

-- "From more space to socially distance to a systematic program for pedestrian districts (Park City (Utah) Main Street Car Free on Sundays)" (2020)

-- "Place-making: Reimagining and reinventing public spaces for communities" resources page, Parks for London

Public space planning and the Buckhead Collection.  In terms of public spaces, years ago (15+) I wrote about the open space and amenities planning program for the Buckhead district of Atlanta.  At the time it seemed to be one of the most comprehensive studies of the issue for dense urban districts.  I should have integrated it better into my thinking about this scale of planning.  

It was spearheaded by the Buckhead Community Improvement District, the business improvement district for the area, which is far more intense than equivalent districts in DC.  

It's funded by commercial property, and I wonder if there is that tension I've previously identified with BIDs providing services to residents, but with limited opportunities for residents to express their voices independent of business interests.  When I would raise this issue in DC, it flew over the heads of most BID staffers.  They had never considered the question.  

At least with the Buckhead CID they have formalized partnership relationships, including a number of resident-based organizations like the sustainability focused Livable Buckhead and the historic preservation organization Buckhead Heritage.  With a change in longtime leadership, the Buckhead Coalition joined forces with the CID, Livable Buckhead and the Buckhead Business Association in a more formal way.

It didn't call for a full array of park spaces, given the land constraints and the reality that not all types of park and recreational facilities can be nor should be implemented in one place.  For example, larger facilities offer more activities, and are delivered at the regional scale. 

Below are the seven types of spaces they identified as primary needs for urban districts.  Each is a single page summary, and the full plan is The Buckhead Collection: The A Greenspace Vision for City of Atlanta Council District 7 + Buckhead CID.  

I reordered it slightly.  Dog parks were at the end, but they are part of park spaces not the other categories.  The "framework" is (1) public spaces from small to large; (2) trails and paths and the pedestrian network [should be expanded, see "Planning for place/urban design/neighborhoods versus planning for transportation modes: new 17th Street NW bike lanes | Walkable community planning versus "pedestrian" planning,"]; (3) cultural resources; (4) public art.

• Plazas
• Central Gathering Space
• Neighborhood Parks
• Community Greens
• Dog Parks
• Conservation Parks
• Greenways & Trails
• Historical & Cultural Resources
• Public Art

But while the plan is great on the spaces, ultimately they missed the need for a public recreation center.  There are some limited facilities in some residential districts. And a variety of for profit or nonprofit facilities like a pool, tennis, and fitness facilities. Probably most of the residents in apartment buildings stick to facilities in their buildings.  

But like what I suggested years ago in Downtown DC, public recreation centers should be included in mixed use districts.  Plus, for workers they'd have the added value of being able to provide shower and locker facilities for bicyclists.  

The Downtown YMCA in Indianapolis used to offer a dedicated bike support facility at City Market but it shut down ("City Market's Bike Hub Is Rolling Forward," Indianapolis Monthly).  But that kind of facility should be integrated into a downtown public recreational facility, serving multiple demographics and users.  

In Santa Monica, Bike Center Santa Monica is a bike shop that rents bikes and supports commuting (in a separate operation with secure bike parking, showers, and lockers, independent from government support other than likely cheap rent in a city parking structure), with a shop with roll up doors.  It's well located in a prominent location in a city parking structure, one block from the Downtown Santa Monica Metro Station and the Third Street Promenade pedestrian mall.

Dog park planning.  In planning for park, recreation and open spaces in urban districts, dog parks are one of the categories that should be included.  The Buckhead plan suggests two types, neighborhood ones but still with a fair amount of amenities, and larger ones serving multiple districts.

-- Dog runs 

---- Basic amenities including water fountain, waste stations. seating areas, fencing, shade| shelter, durable surfaces (typically not organic turf)

---- Experience:  Fulfills basic needs includingcanine to can in en interaction, socialization. canine exercise, waste disposal

-- Destination dog parks 

---- Full range of amenities including water fountain, waste stations, seating areas, segregated recreation areas, shade structures, water | beach access, agility courses | structures, trails | paths, larger exercise areas, restroom facilities, waste recycling, dedicated parking

---- Experience:  Provides a complete recreational experience including canine | canine interaction and socialization, canine/human recreation and interaction, larger size allows for increased flexibility and a greater variety of park programming, potential community event site.

It can be tough to pull off ("Going to the dogs").  In Salt Lake, the Park I'm on the board of is basically a 110 acre dog park already, and I don't want to fence off currently open space for dogs.  Especially because in a driving community like the Salt Lake Valley--people go to dog parks by car, and the traffic load and parking demand that would be induced far exceeds our current capacity.

But this small fenced in pet area at a rest stop on I-15 in Brigham City, Utah demonstrates you don't need a lot of space for it.  

Union Market has these kinds of spaces available.  Interestingly, I didn't take a contemporary photo, but some of the vintage produce sheds still exist on a still unused property on 6th Street NE at Penn Avenue.

This photo, by MrTinDC, from a market tour I led in 2008 shows what the shed space looks like.

The no longer in operation Bark Social in North Bethesda, Montgomery County, Maryland.

A mixed private-public option.  Another option along the lines of seeding amenities in new developments, in a dense building environment like a downtown or district like DC's new neighborhoods of Union Market, the Navy Yard, the Wharf, or the Parks at Walter Reed, maybe the way to go is to subsidize the private bar restaurant dog-friendly facilities that shut down recently,  because they aren't that profitable.  Add coffee/cafe functions, and don't require memberships.

Bark Social was one of those firms ("Meet your dog’s new favorite happy hour destination," Post).  This is in line with my long ago recommendation that community recreation plans should incorporate acknowledgement of and recommendations for for profit facilities too, to have a complete plan.  

Jud and Jane Wollard, both 58, of Silver Spring, sit with their dog, Murphy, on the left, as other dogs come around to be petted. Kate Bunker, 68, of Silver Spring, is on the right, and Havi Reguejo, 40, of North Bethesda, is in the center. People and dogs enjoy a Friday morning at Bark Social, a social club for dogs in North Bethesda. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

And like my suggestion that for profit bike shops could be subsidized by including them in community recreation centers, maybe that's true for dog accommodations too--Bark Social has a couple of locations still.  But maybe the urban sites were just too costly.  That's where subsidy may be a reasonable consideration. Although on equity grounds, people might complain, but if it's money from a self-tax, like a BID or Green Benefits District fee, it doesn't come at the expense of other government budget priorities.

=====

"Saving what is now Union Market" | Inside and Outside campaigns to bring about change.  Interestingly, I hadn't thought about it this way back then, but above I mention Paul Pascal and his key role in helping the market district forge a way better future than the one being proposed back then by legacy politicos and business interests.  What's there now is far better than what "New Towns" ever proposed.

I suppose I was the leader of the "outside campaign" bringing public attention to the issue, leading tours, taking journalists on tours who then wrote stories, talking to student groups.  Paul was the leader of the "inside campaign" dealing with the political and economic elites (think "Growth Machine" and "Urban Regime" theory) who could discard the New Town initiative and lay the path for the other.

Both were necessary.  But very different.  Too often those of us in outside campaigns think we're the primary difference makers.  Sometimes we are.  Sometimes we aren't.  But there is no question that both make a stronger whole.

This comes up with what I wrote about in fighting an inappropriate proposal for a hotel on the border of Sugar House Park in Salt Lake ("Learnings from a recent zoning issue I've been involved in").  There I led the inside campaign.  I understood my knowledge of the process came from all the various projects, initiatives, and plans I participated in back then, mostly in DC, some in Baltimore.  But I never was quite on the inside--sometimes, sort of--the way that Paul was in DC.

Neighborhood councils and civic engagement: snow removal as a community building activity

DC has what are called Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, which are grassroots community organizations empowered with the authority to "weigh in" on matters before DC government agencies, such as zoning, planning approvals etc.

Most of them don't work that well because not much is invested in them by the city government in terms of training and technical assistance.  Although some do well because they organize as committees and allow non-elected residents to participate as full members of the committees, expanding the human capital available to the Commission.

Past writings:

-- "National Community Planning Month | Civic Involvement," 2025

-- "DC's Advisory Neighborhood Commissions," (2012)
-- "(Even more on) ANCs (Advisory Neighborhood Commissions in DC)," (2010)
-- "Setting up DC's Advisory Neighborhood Commissions for success," (2022) (lots of links within)
-- ""Networked solutions" for some problems with ANCs in DC," (2011)
-- "Dumb... to fix bad practices, make them democratic instead of just eliminating them," (2012) (also discusses participatory budgeting)

-- "Building civic engagement systematically: Seattle's Department of Neighborhoods," (2022)
-- "Framingham Massachusetts creates Citizen Participation Officer position" (2018)
-- "Gaps in Parks Master Planning: Part Eight | Civic Engagement and Positive Promotion of Democracy," (2024)

-- "Main Street and getting schooled in politics, constituency building, and building support for your program," (2006)

Government versus self-help/DIY | top down versus ground-up solutions.  Note that Neighborhood Councils can create a couple of other problems.  First, they tend to convert every issue to one of "what government should do", reducing the willingness of people to do self-help/DIY.

Not enough engaged citizens to "staff up" multiple neighborhood organizations.  Also, they do what I call "creaming" getting the best possible community members to participate in the Councils.  I think this can come at the expense of maintaining other organizations such as community associations, friends of libraries/parks, schools and PTAs, etc.  

We need more and better participants, and a range of thriving community organizations, not fewer.  

Note that communities like Capitol Hill, Petworth, Adams-Morgan, Mount Pleasant, to some extent Georgetown, and Takoma Park (the Maryland side, which DC residents can be free riders) have a great amount of community identity, with a number of organizations, volunteers, community festivals, community foundations, various public events, etc.

Commissioners representing Single Member Districts.  Years ago I suggested some strategies and tactics for making Commissioners more accountable and active.  One was a stipend, but only if they held four meetings per year (quarterly) in their electoral district.  Later I suggested that one of the four meetings should be a public/outdoor event, like a community cleanup.

Snow clearance as a civic act.  Cities on the East Coast got zapped by the recent snow storm because snow was followed by sleet and a drop in temperature, creating what some are calling "snowcrete."  

The crust is very hard requiring sledgehammers, pickaxes and other non-plastic shovels to break through.

In DC, groups of citizens have self-organized through Reddit and other social media to go out and clear crosswalks--the city has never really taken responsibility for such even though cleared crosswalks are essential for a walking-biking-transit city ("Cities, sustainable mobility users, and snow"). 

Sidewalks and bus shelters too.

This would be a perfect activity to engage residents in the activities of their local Advisory Neighborhood Commission.  

Columbia Heights Shovel Gang hard at work.

Organized snow clearing events by transit stations, bus stops, schools, libraries, plus crosswalks, etc.  Hot chocolate afterwards?

DC Government does have a volunteer hotline for people willing to shovel snow for people in need.

But I think it could be expanded upon greatly if ANCs were a fulcrum for organizing.

Then again, supporting DIY efforts separate from ANCs is a good thing too.

Cities, sustainable mobility users, and snow

Snow clearance is hard, requires planning, and is maddening when you're trying to get around ("Why can’t Toronto remove snow like Montreal? The answers may surprise you," "No wonder it's taking so long to clear the snow, we planned it that way," Toronto Star).

For many years, around December and later I've written entries about snow clearance in cities that claim to prioritize walking-biking-transit. Rather than recap them, here's a list:

-- "Winter snow clearance in the Walking CIty," 2025

-- "Snow, winter and the "Sustainable Mobility City"," 2019

-- "A "maintenance of way" agenda for the walking and transit city," 2010
-- "Snow reminds us of the necessity of a "maintenance of way" agenda," 2013
-- "Testimony on the Winter Sidewalk Safety Amendment Act of 2011," 2011
-- "Level of service and maintenance requirements in planning #2: winter maintenance of bike paths," 2012
-- "Night-time safety: rethinking lighting in the context of a walking community," 2014
-- "Planning for Winter Weather," 2015
-- "Cataloging the various failures to remove snow in the walking/transit/bicycling city," 2015
-- "Who knew?: there is a Winter Cycling Federation and annual conference," 2015 
-- "Focusing on what's most important: snow on sidewalks or snow on cars?," 2016
-- "Winter preparedness, planning and the Walking/Biking/Transit City," 2019
-- "Walking City Wintertime: Snow and strollers in Toronto," 2019

People stand at a bus stop near Logan Circle in Washington in 2022. (Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/For The Washington Post)

I haven't been motivated to do so much this year because Salt Lake's Valley, and even the mountains although that's changing, has gotten so little snow that a shovel has been unnecessary.  

Although this photo from the Washington Post keeps reminding me.  

Many of Salt Lake's bus stops are just uncovered benches while Calgary and other cities like Winnipeg ("'If you're waiting for a bus, it is brutal' but should the city invest in heated shelters or service?," CBC) have enclosed bus shelters that are heated in the winter.  

Montreal has a special network of winter cycle paths that they commit to keeping clear after snow storms.  Arlington Virginia has a program promoting winter cycling. Many communities, including DC and Montgomery County for the Capital Crescent Trail, have snow clearance programs for trails.  Minneapolis was one of the first cities to include maintenance of way as an element of its bicycle master plan.  Salt Lake and many cities have a winter Bike to Work Day.

An enclosed shelter at Overlea Boulevard and Thorncliffe Park Drive. Like other aspects of the system, there’s concern that using the new facilities could pose a risk if COVID-19 case peak again in the fall and winter. Steve Russell / Toronto Star.

Toronto has introduced some heated shelters, with the justification that they make it easier for disabled users to use regular transit ("TTC installs 16 new heated and enclosed bus shelters," Toronto Star).

Apparently, Pittsburgh isn't getting a lot of snow, but like my blog entries, the mayor is trying to plan ahead after clearance failures ("Mayor outlines snow removal concerns," "One-third of Pittsburgh's plows were unavailable during weekend snowstorm: 'We have to invest in our fleet'," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).  

Similarly, the Boston Globe editorializes, "The disappearing snowplow," in support of state legislation providing financial incentives for snowplow operators so that they continue to operate. 

Toronto failed spectacularly with snow clearance last year, and this year doesn't look to be better ("Toronto could make snow clearing significantly better, report finds. But the city says it can’t afford to," Toronto Star, 2025 Winter Storm Response and Winter Maintenance Program Review: Recommendations and Implementation Plan).

According to the new report from Oakville-based consultants Municipal VU Consulting Inc., a system that offers “the fastest cleanup and the highest level of service reliability” would be the most expensive, at $130 million a year, $94.4 million of which accounts for having extra staff and equipment on standby.

Liisa Nisula, an East York resident, struggles with snow-covered sidewalks in the Danforth-Coxwell area in Toronto, Thursday, February 20, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Eduardo Lima

A lot of the coverage on last year's problems in Toronto focused on how inadequate snow clearance makes it especially hard for the disabled and those with children to get around ("People with mobility issues struggle to navigate sidewalks as cities rush to clear snow," "The magic of the snow is gone. Now we’re left with unplowed streets, dog-yellowed piles and road salt in our hair," Toronto Star). 

Other reports state schools stay closed "longer than they need to" partly because lack of snow clearance makes it hard for kids to walk to school ("Students' choice: Walk in the road or walk on the snow-covered sidewalk," Fox13).

This year, I hope the cities to the east of Utah are doing better on snow clearance for pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users.

=======

Dealing with blizzards can be more than a matter of sustainable mobility, it can be about emergency management more generally and physical safety ("Buffalo Leaders Weren’t Ready for Blizzard That Killed 31, Report Says," NYT).

Five months after a blizzard devastated western New York, killing 31 residents of Buffalo, a report released on Friday cited multiple failures in the ci

Emergency warnings from city officials did not adequately convey how life-threatening the storm would be, the report said. City officials didn’t spread the word about the county’s travel ban for cars quickly enough and didn’t adequately stress the dangers of walking outside. And as the storm raged on, coordination between city, county and state officials became strained.

... The city’s response did not take into account the economic disparities that have existed in Buffalo for decades, they said. Those inequities meant, for instance, that many low-income residents could not afford to stock up on extra food before the blizzard, and as a result, risked driving or even walking out into the snow to get supplies for Christmas dinner.

Best practice innovation and government: bottle deposit bills and DC

Everett Rogers' book Diffusion of Innovations came out of his dissertation where he studied the "diffusion of innovation" through different sectors of the economy-society.  

For example, it took 17 years for a good innovation to percolate out through K-12 education, because of how it is organized--thousands of districts across 50 states and territories.

There used to be talk about how states can be "Laboratories of Democracy" in fostering innovation that is later taken up by other states--Mitt Romney's state health insurance program in Massachusetts ("Mitt Romney Finally Takes Credit For Obamacare," NPR) is one example, another is how the Children's Health Insurance Program started out of a community program in Pittsburgh ("CHILDREN IN CRISIS: The Story of CHIP," PBS documentary).

Today I think it is a lot more difficult than we realize between the lobbying of special interests (the conservatives have an especially good one in the American Legislative Exchange Council, which gets conservative legislation passed across the country), state legislatures that pre-empt local action, and just the amount of time required to organize and get something passed.

Another example is the penny.  We know we don't need it.  But copper interests kept their hand in Congress to keep it minted.  Finally, it won't be newly minted, but will still remain in circulation ("No more pennies? Coin collectors say end of penny will have little impact on hobby," St. Cloud Times).

At the local level, an example is bag charges.  DC did it in 2009.  The Wall Street Journal was up in arms ("In Washington, a Lesson in Bureaucracy Comes in Every Bag"), but a year later said it wasn't so bad ("Capital Takes Bag Tax In Stride").  But it's taken more than a decade for neighboring jurisdictions to pass similar laws, in part because of state action.

-- "Recycling, waste streams, plastic bags, and bottle bills," 2013

I bring this up because the DC City Council is considering a bottle deposit law ("Fight gearing up over D.C. bill to recycle bottles and cans for cash," Post).  Environmental groups put this on the DC ballot in 1988!!!!!!!!!!!! and it was defeated by organizing by the beverage industry.

That was around when I first moved to DC, coming off of about 10 years of Michigan already having such a bill, where it worked well at reducing bottle and can litter from beverages ("How Does Recycling Your Bottle and Cans Help Preserve Michigan’s Environment).

A few years ago, I walked from my house in Manor Park to Columbia Heights and back, and picked up almost 500 recyclable bottles and cans (not all subject to traditional deposit laws, some were from food).

I wonder what Everett Rogers would think of a 40+ year diffusion curve for bottle deposit laws?

Disturbing event cancellation at Pike Place Market in Seattle | versus public art in PortlandA

 According to the Seattle Times, "Pike Place Market backs out of event on incarceration of Japanese Americans."  The internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII mostly affected people on the West Coast.  Plenty of people at the time were favorable to the deportation.  From the article:

An event commemorating the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II and calling attention to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies was canceled by Pike Place Market less than two weeks before the scheduled event.

The Pike Place Market Foundation determined the event’s “resistance” messaging did not align with its purpose as a social service organization, philanthropy director Patricia Gray said in a statement Monday.

-- Tsuru for Solidarity

For me, as a past board member of a public market in DC this is disturbing, because a public market is a public space and a legitimate place to hold protests and have discourse on public issues of all types.

Which is why I've always been amazed by the Tri-Met transit agency in Portland, which hasn't avoided controversy in its public art program.  I was there for a historic preservation conference in 2005, and one of the tours I registered for was of the light rail.  There were a bunch of issues related to getting it approved, funded, and built, and ancillary issues like public art.

At the Exposition Station, when the Expo Center was used as a staging center for Japanese internment and the public art on the transit station site reflected that, presenting a with "dog tags" like those issued to the internees ("Speak Now – Vocabulary of Memory," Ultra Portland).  

Expo Gates, Valerie Otani, Expo Center, Portland, Oregon.

Valerie Otani addresses the theme of Japanese relocation during World War II at the site of the 1942 Portland Assembly Center. Traditional Japanese timber gates strung with metal "internee ID tags" mark station entrances. Vintage news articles are etched in steel and wrapped around the gate legs.  (The artist spoke to us on our tour.  And the headlines of the newspapers included in the work were vicious and racist. )

The other amazing thing about the installation is that there were metal copies of Portland newspaper front pages from that time, and they were amazing racist and virulent wrt the Japanese-Americans.

It certainly puts the decision of Pike Place Market in perspective.  From the article:

Tsuru for Solidarity, a social justice and immigrant rights organization led by Japanese Americans, planned to hold a “Day of Remembrance and Resistance” event at the market on Feb. 19. The foundation notified the group of the cancellation Feb. 7. The Day of Remembrance commemorates President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s signing of Executive Order 9066 on Feb. 19, 1942, which authorized the forced removal and incarceration of more than 110,000 people of Japanese descent from the West Coast.

Pike Place Market had seemed like a poignant location for the event, said Stanley Shikuma, a member of Tsuru for Solidarity’s leadership council.

Despite discriminatory practices in daily stall assignments, Japanese American vendors were the primary driver of the market’s success in the decades after it opened in 1907. Before World War II, Japanese American farmers occupied more than 75% of the produce stalls at the market.

Later the Market apologized for the cancellation but it's not clear if the event will still go forward-TV) ("Pike Place Market apologizes for withdrawing from nonprofit's Day of Remembrance event," KING5).  They said the event isn't congruent with their values.  

I can understand self-censorship.  I think public spaces like markets, excepting Nazi demonstrations, need to be hands off in terms of content.  Either approve almost everything, or don't approve anything.  Although I don't see how the Trump Administration would attack the Market.  Especially in a highly Democratic city like Seattle.

In any case, Portland's Tri-Met is a definite outlier.  Cf when DC cancelled an art installation proposed for the Anacostia River, installing a gas station pump canopy in the River, challenging fossil fuels and their effect on the environment, and for a time aimed to squelch dissent in art ("Public art, environment, history, and the locals all collide in the Anacostia River" Grist, ""After outcry, D.C. commission backs down on censoring art," Washington Post).

Antediluvian by Mia Feuer

Art and dissent has a long tradition, longer than that of the collision of public art, dissent and public funding.  Art in places of contestation is equally problematic ("Monuments as public art, historiography, and change," 2020).

An interesting public space development project in Downtown Pittsburgh: extends the range of after-work activities to keep office workers engaged

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is developing a multi-faceted public space-park in Downtown Pittsburgh ("'Asset for the people:' Pittsburgh Cultural Trust unveils name, more details of Eighth Street block overhaul Downtown").  This is interesting for a couple reasons.  

First, it involves other public organizations focused on Downtown improvement, creating public spaces where consumption of food and drink is not necessarily a primary activity.  Second it looks to be addressing multiple demographics, including kids, when planning for children was never a priority before.  

Third, it takes daypart and attraction management to new levels (Planning programming by daypart, month, season: and Boston Winter Garden, DC's Holiday Market, etc.") whereas spaces like these were never really a priority, at least in terms of planning and programming--sometimes such spaces were created as part of development agreements, but then left to languish.

-- "The layering effect: how the building blocks of an integrated public realm set the stage for community building and Silver Spring, Maryland as an example," (2012)

It's a different way of staying Downtown compared to consumption of alcohol indoors after work, and is responsive to declines in alcohol consumption by younger demographics ("Why Gen Z Is Drinking Less," TIME)..  Although public beer gardens are a method chosen by Philadelphia Horticultural Society and later the Parks Department, alongside Milwaukee to activate spaces ("Cities Want Young Families to Play and Stay: New Features Include Parks, Playgrounds and Beer Gardens," Wall Street Journal, 2014).

Fourth, it reminds me of a point made in Learning from Bryant Park, that commercial district revitalization organizations should take a more active role in developing unique spaces that extend the range of activities available to patrons. 

Fifth, it extends the range of third places ("Third place issues") where consumer consumption isn't a requirement.  And it's close to the Allegheny River.

Pittsburgh, meet Arts Landing. That’s the name for the new $31 million Downtown gathering and play space being proposed by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust on Eighth Street bordering Penn Avenue and Fort Duquesne Boulevard.

On Thursday, officials from the Cultural Trust, county and city dropped the name and more details about the four-acre spot, which will include a great lawn, a bandshell for concerts, a play area, a garden walk, pickleball courts and a small running track. “This will be a place for co-workers to meet after work, for families to bring their kids down to play — for people to go out on their first dates,” Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato said. “It’s really going to become an incredible asset for the people of Pittsburgh for generations to come.”

... “This is not a short-term fix or an incremental improvement to an existing space,” Mr. Holmberg said Thursday. “This is reimagining and building an entirely new destination that will delight and benefit our community.” The centerpiece of Arts Landing will be the “great lawn,” a one-acre green space along the Allegheny River and between the Andy Warhol and Rachel Carson bridges. A bandshell will be located in the northwest corner of the gathering spot near Fort Duquesne Boulevard. It will be used for concerts and performances.

... “It’s really meant to be a people-first focused space,” said Lisa Tziona Switkin, a partner at Field Operations, the architecture firm designing the project. Other Arts Landing features include a play area for children and families — designed with the help of a focus group of 8-year-olds, Mr. Holmberg said. A new visitor center will also be located on the ground floors of two Cultural Trust-owned buildings at 819 and 821 Penn near the Ninth Street intersection. The center will include public restrooms.

Note that past blog entries have referenced Pittsburgh Cultural Trust as national best practice.

-- "The Howard and Lincoln Theatres: run them like the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust/Playhouse Square Cleveland model" (2012)

Winter snow clearance in the Walking City

A bicycle path cleared of snow in Sweden.  Reddit photo.

I used to write yearly about this, focusing on how the sustainable mobility centric city needs snow removal policies that co-equally privilege walking, biking and transit users, not just the motor vehicle parts of roads.

Moving to Salt Lake City-one of Utah's marketing slogans is "the best snow on earth"--is that ironically it doesn't snow that much in the city.  Most of the city is flat, in the valley.  The northeast sections (I live in part there), do get more snow, but it truly varies--one mile east closer to the mountains gets 2x or 3x the amount of snow we do.  Often, within a couple days the snow melts off our driveway anyway.

Of course, the mountain canyons get much more snow than Salt Lake, have avalanche threats, etc.

The city stays on top of road snow clearance, most households shovel their sidewalks, and I don't know what the city does for separated bike lanes--which aren't close to my house, and these days I am unable to bike anyway.

An intrepid bicyclist riding on a snowy road towards Georgetown, DC.  Reddit photo.

A Reddit thread complains about the quality of snow removal in DC ("Has DC's snow removal gone downhill? "), and it covers some of the same issues that got me writing those posts starting in 2009 (also my experience then working as a bicycle and pedestrian planner for Baltimore County).  

Back then it was Mayor Fenty's Administration that failed.  Surprisingly or not so surprisingly, the Reddit thread focus is on the roads--but then even pedestrians use them, especially when sidewalks aren't cleared.

I did find that my yearly "complaints" about the issue led to year-by-year-improvements.  DDOT even swiped a photo I reprinted from the Boston Globe on the topic.  But I'm not there now... GGW focuses on "snecks" but not the overall problem of snow removal in the Walking-Biking-Transit City ("Snow reveals excess roadway").

The condition of State Line Road following the previous day’s snowstorm on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. The Missouri side on the right, Kansas side on the left. Dominick Williams dowilliams@kcstar.com  

The Kansas City Star has an article, "Kansas City overhauled its approach to snow removal. Blizzard response shows some payoff," about how the Kansas City Missouri (the Kansas side isn't doing too well with the same snowstorm) has transformed its business processes for staying on top of snow clearance, and it's a good model for other jurisdictions.

-- "Snow, winter and the "Sustainable Mobility City"," (2019)

-- "A "maintenance of way" agenda for the walking and transit city," 2010
-- "Snow reminds us of the necessity of a "maintenance of way" agenda," 2013
-- "Testimony on the Winter Sidewalk Safety Amendment Act of 2011," 2011
-- "Level of service and maintenance requirements in planning #2: winter maintenance of bike paths," 2012
-- "Night-time safety: rethinking lighting in the context of a walking community," 2014
-- "Planning for Winter Weather," 2015
-- "Cataloging the various failures to remove snow in the walking/transit/bicycling city," 2015
-- "Who knew?: there is a Winter Cycling Federation and annual conference," 2015 -- the upcoming Congress is in Montreal, February 8th-10th, 2017
-- "Focusing on what's most important: snow on sidewalks or snow on cars?," 2016
-- "Winter preparedness, planning and the Walking/Biking/Transit City," 2019
-- "Walking City Wintertime: Snow and strollers in Toronto," 2019

MOW is a term used by railroads.   And "transit city" as an urban form encompasses sustainable modes of transportation--walking, biking, and transit--based on the concepts expressed in "Transportation and Urban Form: Stages in the Spatial Evolution of the American Metropolis" by Peter Muller.

Edmonton: Winter City Strategy, Winter City Design Guidelines.  Given how much of its climate is during winter, Edmonton, Alberta has developed plans to address this.  

The strategy has four elements– Winter Life, Winter Design, Winter Economy, and Our Winter Story.

• webpage
• FOR THE LOVE OF WINTER: Winter City Strategy Implementation Plan
• Winter Design Strategy
• Winter City Design Guidelines: Transforming Edmonton into a Great Winter City

And it's worth rementioning the Winter Cycling Federation.

21 years later H Street NE commercial district is still dirty

I've been amazed at how much cleaner Salt Lake City tends to be compared to DC.  

For example, a few years ago, I walked from Manor Park to Columbia Heights and back, and picked up and disposed of over 500 recyclables...

This is a query on Reddit DC, looking for people to help clean up H Street NE.  

As chair of the H Street Main Street Promotions Committee back in 2003 this is something we did too.  I wrote about it in a couple entries:

-- "Every Litter Bit Hurts," 2005
-- "Community cleanups (and other activities) as community building and civic engagement activities," 2011

I would say it gave me a much better ground-based appreciation about the nature of the trash.  In DC commercial districts, it's pretty typical for trash to flow into the first residential block on either side of the street.

So clean up programs should include the abutting residential areas where appropriate.

It also illustrates that commercial district revitalization is a never ending effort.  Perceptions of public safety are shaped by cleanliness, the presence of graffiti, etc.

-- "Updating the post The "soft side" of commercial district revitalization," 2006/2016

Decades ago, DC used to pay people to clean the streets of commercial districts, but that program ended when the city was in bankruptcy.

====

This article is interesting.  Back when I did Main Street commercial district revitalization work, I used to make the point that small cities and big cities often missed the point when approaching their work.  A big city wasn't all downtown.  The neighborhood commercial districts are more akin to smaller town commercial districts.  Therefore small towns can learn from neighborhood commercial districts in cities and vice versa.

This article about commercial district revitalization in smaller towns across Minnesota illustrates the point ("From Owatonna to Red Wing, Minnesota's small downtowns see resurgence," Minneapolis Star Tribune, archive.ph copy).

What should the program for a Transportation Management District look like?

So for almost 20 years, I've suggested DC create TMDs, based on the concept of what Montgomery County Maryland does for its business districts but also what are sometimes called "Transportation Management Associations" like the one that covers Potomac Yard in Arlington/Alexandria (FAST Potomac Yard) or the Robinson District in Suburban Pittsburgh (Airport Corridor Transportation Association).  There are tons of these organizations across the country.

-- "Parking districts vs. transportation/urban management districts: Part one, Bethesda," 2015
-- "Parking districts vs. transportation/urban management districts: Part two, Takoma DC/Takoma Park Maryland," 2015
-- "Parking districts vs. transportation/urban management districts: Part three, jitneys/shuttles/delivery and the tertiary transit network," 2015
-- "Transportation demand management requirements for large developments and the MGM National Harbor Casino as an example of why this is absolutely necessary," 2015

Note that DC has created a MID, a "mobility innovation district" to support an electric shuttle in the Southwest Business Improvement District.  And they had "parking innovation districts" for awhile, but they were idiosyncratic, not systematic, and had many restrictions.  

A TMD is the way to go, focusing on everything, not just parking, which is more typical.  The famed Don Shoup approach in Anaheim includes revenue from parking meters, parking structures, and parking tickets as part of the business improvement district (I hope they are investing in the kinds of programs listed below).

At the time, my focus was trying to create a shared parking scenario, and to invest in sustainable mobility.  Often places have "lots of" parking, but it's spread out across multiple properties, and they don't coordinate. So people spend most of their time complaining about lack of parking.

-- "Testimony on parking policy in DC," 2012

It happens that Salt Lake has the potential for a TMD, in the Sugar House business district which is mixed use commercial and taller multiunit housing, as well as for the residential neighborhood which is across the street and mostly single family housing, not so much to coordinate commuter traffic and throughput, but to encourage sustainable mobility in response to the surgical addition of significant density, the existence of a streetcar and bus service, etc. 

This came up in an email discussion a few weeks ago, and I started listing what I thought should be the elements of an ideal TMD program.

Transportation Demand Management programming

The reality is, especially in a place like Salt Lake, most people drive.  The issue is two-fold, dealing with nonresidents working in or visiting the district, and with residents in their trips outside of the district and within the district.

Photo: Leah Hogsten, Salt Lake Tribune.  While this might not be dense for a much bigger city, Sugar House is becoming the densest SLC neighborhood outside of downtown, especially along the Trax light rail line.

But Sugar House is intensifying, the area is served by multiple bus routes traveling east-west and north-south, as well as a (minimally used) streetcar service which connects to the light rail line further west.  

Note that the streetcar has been particularly useful in stoking development ("Streetcar through Sugar House and South Salt Lake has spurred up to $2B in economic growth," Salt Lake Tribune), which contributes to density, which helps to build the foundation for shifting more trips to sustainable modes.

The best way to do this is to put out a survey on people's travel behavior, for the businesses, the residents of multiunit buildings, and the residents of single family and small apartment buildings.  In serious TDM programs there are people ready to help individual clients make the shift.

One thing the downtown district did in Columbus, Ohio is give all the workers free transit passes as a traffic management strategy ("Columbus Shows What Free Bus Passes Can Do for Ridership," Columbus Dispatch, "Free bus passes for workers: Columbus's big idea to relieve a congested downtown," Guardian).  

The program, by a different organization, has also been extended to the Short North neighborhood ("Free Bus Passes Coming Back for Short North Workers and Residents," Columbus Underground).

I would think that such a program should be encouraged for workers, and it should be offered promotionally for the residents of multiunit buildings, especially along the streetcar route, to get them to experiment with transit.

The Tribune article asks the question of whether or not the streetcar is contributing to traffic reduction.  I'd say definitely not, the ridership is abysmal.  But that is partially the result of expecting changes to "trickle down" rather than working to make the change in purposeful ways.

Promoting biking, walking, and other sustainable modes is another element of TDM.

Coordinating Parking/Developing a shared parking scenario

One of the big problems with capitalism is every property does its own thing.  Ideally there would be a shared parking scenario so people would park once, and go to multiple places, without worrying that their car will be towed.  Ideally this is complemented by district wide valet systems where you can drop your car off at one location but get the car at another location.  

This is discussed in the links above.  Two examples are the Chestnut Hill Parking Foundation in Philadelphia, which coordinates off street parking, and College Park, Maryland, where a number of shopping centers gave their rights to the city to manage the parking lots, as a way to discourage all day parking by commuter students.  The lots are metered, the city collects the revenue, and maintains the lots.  And in many "neighborhood commercial districts" across the country, the city will maintain off street parking comparably.  

Arlington and Montgomery Counties provide parking structures in certain districts, and these are usually paid parking but not always (e.g., pay in Silver Spring but not Bethesda).

Intra-district shuttle systems

Item # 5 in "Creating a Silver Spring "Sustainable Mobility District" | Part 2: Program items 1 - 9," discusses how to implement an integrated parking-shuttle system in Silver Spring, Maryland.

This is an example of what I call tertiary transit ("Intra-neighborhood (tertiary) transit revisited because of new San Diego service," 2016), focused on movement within a neighborhood district, although mostly it's done in tourist areas and downtowns ("Low cost electric shuttle services debuts in Lake Worth Beach and Boynton Beach" Palm Beach Post, "Looser rules on transit tax bringing ‘Freebee’ shuttles to cities. Is Uber next?," Miami Herald, Long Beach, California, "FRED, San Diego's subsidized shuttle, will give free rides Downtown for another year," San Diego Union Tribune, "They're like Uber but free new electric shuttles are popping up all over South Florida," Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel), and using vans and small buses, to from and to transit stations ("It was very fast’: A shuttle service starts free rides from this Tri-Rail station," Sun-Sentinel).

The Turkish bus firm Karsan produces a 16 passenger electric bus which would also work but is bigger ("What Kind of Big Impact Will a New Minibus Have on North America’s Small Bus Market?," Mass Transit Magazine).  

The idea is that intra-district transportation, especially by SFH residents, could be shifted to shuttles rather than by car.  Go to the grocery store, bring back your purchases, without driving.  Go out to dinner, you don't have to drive.  Get to and from the transit station, you don't have to drive.

Getty Images photo of buses in London.

Marketing Transit. Besides the general TDM approach, utilize other methods to promote transit. 

I hadn't thought about it, but maybe SLC is ripe for the double deck bus approach ("Making bus service sexy and more equitable," 2012) for rebranding and repositioning of bus service as sexy, even though the ridership numbers wouldn't justify it otherwise. 

The route on 2100 South would be a great place to start.

-- Marketing in the Transit Environment, National Rural Transit Assistance Project
-- Best practice guide #5: Public transport | Citizens requirements, Hi-Trans, EU
-- Marketing your transit agency: a step by step getting started guide, TripSpark
-- "Public Transit Marketing 101: Why and How Public Transit Agencies Need to Market," Agora, 2012

The Times has an article, "Could Better Buses Fix Your Commute?," on improving bus service.  It's not particularly scintillating, and one of the points, dedicated bus lanes, won't work in Salt Lake because ridership is so small it doesn't justify it.

UTA does do different liveries for BRT.  Maybe they could do an exciting one for 2100 South.  I think a Roy Lichtenstein influenced livery, or the Multiplicity branding from Luxembourg would work.

Above: Multiplicity bus.  Below: Roy Lichtenstein did do a painting of VW microbuses.

Campaigns, especially focused on workers and the multiunit buildings, are in order.  

Arlington County requires transportation information kiosks for multiunit and public buildings, like libraries.  A TMD should create the same for its district.  The Palo Alto school district has safe routes to school maps posted in building foyers, which is another strategy.  Surprisingly, a Walmart in DC had a map posted similar to Palo Alto's.

Creative treatments of bus and streetcar shelters--my point is that shelters are marketing touchpoints for transit.  An exciting livery for the streetcar, which is super boring.  Work with UTA to support free transit days.  Etc.

Bobby Fouther public art on the Portland Streetcar.

Salt Lake Streetcar reminds me of the little girl next door saying:

"boring, boring, boring boring."

Marketing Biking

Salt Like is doing a nice job putting in dedicated cycle tracks.  Sugar House has some on Highland Drive, by Fairmont Park on 900 East, is adding more cycle tracks on 1300 East and other streets.  

Cycle tracks are proven to qualm safety concerns and increase the number of cyclists.  

There are also some trails in the neighborhood, including along the streetcar line.  Bike parking is pretty abysmal.  

There are at least two bicycle shops, one dedicated to e-bikes.  And there are some bike sharing stations, with an expansion coming.  There aren't many free air pumps or bike stands.  I don't know if some apartment buildings have high quality bike parking.  

The journal article "Making Cycling Irresistible," inspired my own blog entry in 2008,  "Ideas for Making Cycling Irresistible in DC."  Besides investing in better facilities, and Sugar House has some trails, traffic calmed streets, bike sharing stations, and bicycle boulevards,  

-- I argue that there needs to be real assistance programs in helping people transition to a bike for transportation, this entry, "Revisiting assistance programs to get people biking: 18 programs," lists a number of ways to do it.  One of the methods lends bikes, helmets, and locks, so people can try biking without having to pay for it up front.

-- Electric bicycles are maybe a quantum leap forward in getting people willing to commute longer distances by bike, plus they have significant environmental benefits over cars. E-bike promotion through voucher-based discounts, as some communities are doing, including Salt Lake, might be worth doing by TMDs.

-- There should be a program to promote high quality secure bicycle parking in large apartment buildings.

-- Bicycle sharing is expanding.  I've suggested a special parks focused concept with stations at Sugar House Park, Allen Park, Westminster University, Fairmont Park, Highland High School and other locations, including along the streetcar line and in the abutting City of South Salt Lake up to the Central Pointe station.  Ideally we could get a sponsor so that trips starting and ending in parks can be free. 

-- also special tours and occasional promotions to encourage people to use bike share.

-- There needs to be a system of secure bicycle parking, especially with the adoption of more expensive electric bikes.  Bike theft is a problem in Salt Lake. Currently, bicycle parking quality is pretty hit or miss.  Much, even at public facilities, doesn't meet the most basic standards of the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals.  

I've argued for creating such a network at the metropolitan scale ("May is National Bike Month too: Part 1 -- a good time to assess planning and programming").  No reason to not start by creating such a network in Sugar House.  It could include high quality air pumps and bike stands as accessories.  (At the very least, the library and post office could have them.) 

-- Some places have Bicycle-Friendly business districts programs and ride to shop days, which should be offered (Case Studies: Bicycle Friendly Business Districts, League of American Bicyclists).  In Denmark, Ikea stores have borrow-able cargo bikes.  Is that something to promote at the local supermarket?  Or to develop a community-based delivery service using bikes.

E.g., it bugs me that supermarkets offer free gas points based on sales, but nothing for people who walk or bike or use transit.

-- Regularly scheduled community bicycle rides are a way to get people out and biking.  I am always amazed seeing photos from Open Streets events, and I wonder, how come I don't see that many bicycles out in the community ordinarily?

-- Produce a brochure promoting biking in the greater neighborhood.  Like the old bikeways brochure produced by the Silver Spring Maryland urban district.

-- Bicycle shops in the area are more oriented to recreational bicycling.  Work with shops to better support biking for transportation. (E.g., I got pissed at the bike shop on 2100 South, when--because I am old--they suggested a cruiser bike.  Cruisers are totally unusable for real transportation.) Install mobility kiosks at their stores.  Maybe wall maps of the area bike routes, like at the Takoma Park shop in Maryland.  Or a brewpub in Pocatello.

-- Annual Urban Mobility/Biking Expo during Bike Month.  There are various forms.  Years ago, Arlington County, Virginia used to sponsor a sustainable mobility expo.  The UTA transit agency in Salt Lake City a Bike Expo.  Berlin has an annual Urban Mobility Day ("Berlin’s Urban Mobility Day showcases E-Mobility and new Apps," Urban Transport Magazine), and some colleges have Bike Weeks ("This week is Bike Week at the University of Utah").  NYC sponsors(ed?) a Bike Expo in association with the 5 Boro Ride, which had more than 100 exhibitors and 50,000 attendees in 2014.  Richmond hosted a Bike Expo in association with the UCI Race.

The TMD should sponsor at least two.  One in September when school starts with Westminster University and Highland High School as primary targets.  And one during Bike Month.  Such an activity should be a key event during National Bike Month, in every major metropolitan area.

Although major colleges should have a Bike Week/Bike Expo event during the first few weeks of the Fall Semester.  And for K-12 schools, 

-- During Bike Month, support "Bike to Work" Day.

-- There's talk about doing an Open Streets event at Sugar House Park.  A TMD should be a lead partner.  Open Streets events could also be held on Sugarmont Avenue, along the streetcar line and adjacent to Fairmont Park.

-- consider misters on the S Line Trail for hot summers.

-- map signage for bicycle trails and routes (we're adding the first such signs in the area to Sugar House Park).

Marketing Walking 

The blog entry, "Planning for place/urban design/neighborhoods versus planning for transportation modes: new 17th Street NW bike lanes | Walkable community planning versus "pedestrian" planning," suggests planning for walkable communities versus "improving pedestrian conditions."  

Some cities like Boston, Denver and Seattle have active pro-walking groups which are a model for improving places, technical assistance, and advocacy.

-- In Arlington County, WalkArlington does community walks.  Sometimes they're led by the elected official for that district.  Sometimes they are in parks or commercial districts, or cover history, etc.

-- improve sidewalks and street conditions along sidewalks.  Salt Lake is hot in the summer.  Maybe have misters.  More trees for shade.  Etc.

-- address lighting at night and in the early hours, especially an issue in winter.  Sugar House's main commercial streets do have light poles with "car lighting" and lower lights placed to light sidewalks for pedestrians.  But probably this can be expanded.

Safe Routes to Schools/TDM for schools.  Not typically part of a TMD, but increasingly traffic is generated in the morning and afternoon by parents dropping off/picking up students after school. 

Cars lined up to pick up students at a school in Reading, Pennsylvania.  Reading Eagle photo.

Apparently it can be quite gnarly ("Tantrums and Turf Wars: The School Car Line Is Chaos," Wall Street Journal).  All the reason to include it in TMDs.  Plus improvements to the walking and biking environment for children also helps neighborhoods simultaneously.

-- "Why isn't walking/biking to school programming an option in Suburban Omaha | Inadequacies in school transportation planning," 2022
-- School Walk and Bike Routes: A Guide for Planning and Improving Walk and Bike to School Options for Students
-- Safe Routes to School program, Washington State
-- City of Tacoma SRTS program, including SRTS Action Plan.  

-- Like with a TMD, the approach at a school should be the creation of a transportation demand management plan for teachers and staff, and students/parents.  

In 2009, I was able to spend half a day at Stoneleigh Elementary School in Baltimore County Maryland on International Walk to School Day.  They had a very sophisticated approach.  I've heard a school in Oxnard, California does something similar.  But it's rare.  What's needed is a school-based full scale TDM plan dealing with cars, buses, and kids on foot.

-- While SRTS is oriented to elementary schools, some districts like Palo Alto, do it across K-12.  In Boulder, Colorado, certain schools with SRTS programs have 50% or more mode split of kids coming to school by sustainable means.

-- organize "Walking School Buses" and "Bicycle School Buses" for each school in the TMD.

-- Promote International Bike and Walk to School Day which is October 6th, or the US one, when the dates differ.

-- schools need high quality secure bicycle, scooter, and skateboard parking too.  Showers and lockers in schools can encourage teachers and staff to bike to school instead of drive.

-- lighting is also an issue in mornings, evenings--especially as school buildings are used more in the evenings, and in the winter

Public space maintenance including public spaces like plazas, trees, and public art/Aesthetic qualities of transportation infrastructure.  A lot of communities dependent on the car have pretty ugly roads.  And by default, this is the environment that defines the community.  

In "Extending the "Signature Streets" concept to "Signature Streets and Spaces"," I argue for a focused approach to improve these aesthetic conditions and to address all modes.  Ed McMahon, now of Urban Land Institute, has made this point for decades.

Like business improvement districts, TMDs could take more responsibility for public space design and maintenance than is currently the case.  I suppose my model here is half a transportation district, half business and neighborhood promotion.

One thing would be to promote public art lighting of the freeway underpasses.  But also expanding the tree cover, providing and clearing trash cans.  Here a big thing is medians, and too often they don't have plantings.  Which yes, are tough to maintain, but add a lot of aesthetic value when they are.  Lighting is also an issue of public space maintenance as well.

Light Channels, Bill FitzGibbons, San Antonio.

Public art crosswalk by Carlos Cruz-Diez commissioned by the Broad Museum, Los Angeles.

Provision of wayfinding and identity systems ("Basic planning building blocks for urban commercial district revitalization programs that most cities haven't packaged: Part 2 | A neighborhood identity and marketing toolkit (kit of parts)").   

Salt Lake has a couple different systems which can be integrated.  Basically there are two scales, for pedestrians and for cars, with identity signs for civic spaces like parks.  Nothing for transit.  And there are some monument signs identifying the district.  Downtown they also have map signs.

Map and historic interpretation signage should be added to the system.  And business district brochures focused on the independent businesses.  

Boise has a great identity system for neighborhoods, which could be adapted for Salt Lake's residential areas.

Newcastle's Ride and Walk wayfinding brochure, also made available as signage, is a model too.

Traffic calming.  Salt Lake already has a best practice program called Livable Streets, and they are implementing it across the city.  A separate citizen initiated project by a friend is interesting because rather than focus on one street in Sugar House, it addresses multiple streets simultaneously.  

In those communities where there aren't good programs, a TMD could step up.  For example, the Memphis Medical District Collaborative created a Streetscape Lookbook to shape the look of the streetscape and road network.

Car sharing. Car sharing works in certain conditions ("Car sharing and integrated sustainable mobility planning," 2013, "Another example of DC's failures in transportation planning: carsharing," 2011, "When the one over neighborhood is in the county next door, and housing prices have been in the tank: Mount Rainer, Maryland," 2016, section on car sharing).  While it won't work across Salt Lake, it could potentially work in Sugar House and maybe Central City/Downtown.  (And don't muck it up with EV requirements.  That adds complexity and seems to have doomed many programs.)

It's worth exploring providing it, perhaps on a nonprofit basis, to discourage car ownership and promote sustainable mobility, while still providing access to cars as necessary.  

Hoboken, New Jersey has been particularly successful (""Car-sharing program finds home in crowded Hoboken":," AP) as has been DC.  Those places and their successes alongside the many failures prove that the necessary preconditions are very specific, although I do think Sugar House could pull it off.  But the mode split for transit, walking, and biking has to increase simultaneously.

EV charging.  I'm going to put EV charging as an issue, but I wouldn't say the TMD should install it per se, because management and maintenance is a problem, but it should actively encourage its provision in larger commercial properties, in multiunit housing buildings, parking structures, maybe at certain public facilities, etc.  

TMDs could regularly inspect such facilities (and inspect secure bike parking, air pumps, repair stands too) to ensure that they are working and to take the necessary steps to make them work when they aren't.

Planning and advocacy.  Goes without saying.  The TMD should be planning all these elements, and advocating for improvements as needed.

Roads.  Of course, most TMDs focus on roads, and they need to be treated as a network in the context of the subdistrict, and in terms of coordination with various local, state, and federal transportation agencies.