Six ideas from Jeff Speck that are as plain as the cost-benefit nose on a banker's face.

This 2011 article provides an outline of Speck's book to come ("Walkable City"). As I read through them, I keep hearing bankers talking about "cost-benefit analyses," and I feel much the same way as when I see people looking at their iPhone weather apps rather than looking out the window. 

Quality of life "no-brainers"? Here are six. Can you take the time to read them, please?


Recipes for Great Places: Jeff Speck On Six Ideas That Are Changing the Planning World, by Kevin Pozzi, (1000 Friends of Oregon)

Walkability

A consistent theme throughout Speck’s discussion, walkability is a key focus for planners, consumers, and business people today, as evidenced by popular sites like Walkscore.com.

“It really all comes down to walkability. It’s a great way to tell if your city is doing something right,” Speck said, detailing that pedestrians desire a safe, comfortable, enclosed, and interesting walk. “So how do you get people to walk? You give them a reason to walk—a mix of uses.”

As walkability consultant for Oklahoma City, Speck’s firm advanced the city’s downtown transformation through the successful Project 180 initiative, retrofitting many of the city’s wide arterials to improve walkability and add bikes lanes and on-street parking.

Urban Triage

The next concept Speck introduced, a Duany-coined term known as urban triage, acknowledges that most American cities are dominated by auto-oriented land uses, likestrip malls, and big box stores.  

Because these uses will be around for the foreseeable future, Speck advocates for a thorough analysis of street quality in targeted areas like downtowns, focusing resources on what will ultimately have the most amount of impact.

“We need to get people to walk by choice and to create walkable places,” he said. “And to reference a Duany quote, the first place to do that is in our downtowns, because downtown is the one neighborhood that belongs to everyone.”

One-Way Versus Two-Way Streets

Speck also discussed the impacts of one-way streets versus two-way streets. He described how the uninterrupted mass momentum of vehicles in one direction harms the retail environment by obscuring visibility of shops from view and distributing vitality unevenly throughout the urban landscape.

He mentioned Vancouver, Washington as a prime example of a city that experienced a remarkable transformation of downtown street life and business activity after modifying its one-way thoroughfares to two-way streets.

“ODOT’s boilerplate solution to everything seems to be speeding traffic through downtowns,” Speck said, referencing the prevalence of one-way thoroughfares in smaller towns and cities throughout Oregon. “It really should be changed.”

Road Diets

Related to the one-way vs. two-way distinction is the concept of road diets,an approach that reduces the amount of lanes on thoroughfares in an effort to increase safety and encourage active transportation.

Most of these adjustments retrofit streets from four lanes to three, allowing space for bike lanes, wider sidewalks, landscaping, and on-street parking. Studies show that these modifications don’t significantly alter overall capacity and are a cheap solution that improves the overall safety of the street.

The video from Streetfilms explains the concept further, and includes some impressive examples from around the country.

“Four lane roads are extremely dangerous. T-bones come from cars turning left into lanes that you don’t see,” Speck said. “If you have a three lane road, there is simply no more danger of being t-boned.”

What We Know About Parking

Transitioning the discussion to stationary vehicles, Speck detailed the latest on parking through the lens of Donald Shoup, a Yale urban planning professor who has written extensively about the intersection of parking and land use.

 “Parking is a public good that must be measured properly if downtown succeeds,” Speck said. “It is important to price parking so that one space is empty at all times, mirroring individual choices to maximize utility.”

Speck explained that underpriced parking leads to crowding, which can then lead to a loss in customers and quality of life issues.

Of course, discussions about parking prices can generate considerable debate. So how can municipalities price parking in a politically feasible way? Speck suggests that they create a public benefit district to transfer generated revenues back into the neighborhood.

Greenwashing

Speck concluded his discussion with the topic of greenwashing, citing numerous examples of initiatives that may seem environmentally friendly, but often consist of green gadgetry or misleading spin.

Speck argued against what he calls “gizmo green,” the addition of accessories to buildings in an effort to fulfill an obligation to be environmentally friendly. While not advocating against these retrofits, he is concerned that many of these ‘sustainable’ buildings are located so far from walkable neighborhoods and transit corridors that they are completely dependent on automobiles.

“By far a human being’s greatest carbon footprint and environmental impact is from driving,” he said.

Conclusion: "Details Matter"

As a respected author, consultant, and advocate, Speck’s voice has been very influential in the smart growth and New Urbanism field. While seemingly critical of certain dogma within the profession--namely his discussions around certain "green, sustainable" improvements and street couplets--he consistently champions the creation of walkable cities designed for all modes of transportation.

Speck’s overall argument might be condensed down to the phrase “details matter.” It matters to pedestrians if the journey is interesting enough to actually walk, it matters to businesses when commuters can only see their storefronts one time of day, and it matters how we price parking spots. Most of all, it matters how communities locate, connect, and design their neighborhoods, businesses, and services, to create transportation options and a thriving local economy.

online?os_issue=%2Fsites%2Ffriends.org%2Ffiles%2FOS_October2011-102411-FINAL.html" style="color: #2763a5; text-decoration: none;">Oregon Stories | October 2011

Heavens to Murgatroyd ... DNA's national parent has been advocating for two-way streets for over a decade.

On Twitter yesterday, I noted with genuine pleasure that Develop New Albany is using the marquee space in its e-mail newsletter to inform recipients about this evening's council meeting, and the anticipated discussion there of two-way street conversions.

Then I expressed the sincere hope that DNA actually would make two-way streets into an organizational position, even a priority, and something to be advocated. Why is skepticism merited? Because the blatantly obvious has not always passed muster; when the topic was potentially injurious bridge tolls, DNA's response took the form of evasion and prevarication.

But there's been a change of management, and I believe that this time, DNA's going to come down on the right side on the efficacy of two-way street conversions. As Bluegill conveniently reminds us, not only has the National Main Street Center been advocating for two-way streets for more than a decade, but it also urges its affiliates to do precisely the same.

Of course, this fact also very strongly implies that the once staunch DNA servant/savant and non-democratic "Democrat" Bob Caesar spent at least some time actively suppressing Main Street organizational compliance during all those wasted years. Let's stay optimistic. It's been a very long wait, but perhaps DNA is ready to get into the trenches and join a truly worthwhile fight. Now's the time.

Can we please not screw this up?

Converting One-way Streets to Two-way: Managing Traffic on Main Street

By John D. Edwards | From Main Street Story of the Week | June 2002 | 187

There has been a resurgence of interest in downtown redevelopment in the past two decades. Whether this is the result of programs such as Main Street or simply a renewed interest in downtown from "baby boomers" and municipalities that now recognize the importance of the downtown tax base, it is happening. Along with this "broader" interest in traditional commercial districts, we see more concern and interest in the ‘nuts and bolts' of what makes a downtown actually work better. One of those nuts and bolts is the downtown street system.

A new national anthem for our fair town.

Top-quality stuff, this.

Two-way streets in Vancouver WA, Part 2: "One-way streets should not be allowed in prime downtown retail areas. We've proven that."

A portion of Ehrenhalt's essay below is repeated by Jeff Speck in his book, "Walkable City." Again and again, one observes from real-world experience throughout the nation that returning streets to two-way traffic is, in fact, an economic development tool.

Wouldn't it be nice if City Hall deigned to reinforce this point?

In New Albany's case, two-way streets also stand to be important in a way quite specific to our city as it pertains to geography; as Bluegill put it yesterday:

No doubt tolls will have a negative traffic impact on NA. But that's another reason reclaiming our streets is important: to make our downtown and surrounding neighborhoods less attractive as a cut-through and more attractive as a destination.

In every such discussion, there tends to be a "big lie," and the one being told most often as we debate (why?) two-way street conversions goes something like this: "If we restrict the speed with which outsiders race through our city, they'll be less inclined to come here."

Precisely, although it isn't the lie's gist. Hopefully, slower streets will deter them from cutting through. HELL, THEY AREN'T STOPPING ANYWAY. At some point, we must finally feel confident in ourselves and shake off the Caesaresque civic inferiority complex that so often defines us. If we are a destination worth visiting, they'll visit.

Can we please not botch this opportunity?

Highlights below are mine.

The Return of the Two-Way Street; Why the double-yellow stripe is making a comeback in downtowns, by Alan Ehrenhalt (Governing)

Over the past couple of decades, Vancouver, Washington, has spent millions of dollars trying to revitalize its downtown, and especially the area around Main Street that used to be the primary commercial center. Just how much the city has spent isn't easy to determine. But it's been an ambitious program. Vancouver has totally refurbished a downtown park, subsidized condos and apartment buildings overlooking it and built a new downtown Hilton hotel.

Some of these investments have been successful, but they did next to nothing for Main Street itself. Through most of this decade, the street remained about as dreary as ever. Then, a year ago, the city council tried a new strategy. Rather than wait for the $14 million more in state and federal money it was planning to spend on projects on and around Main Street, it opted for something much simpler. It painted yellow lines in the middle of the road, took down some signs and put up others, and installed some new traffic lights. In other words, it took a one-way street and opened it up to two-way traffic.

The merchants on Main Street had high hopes for this change. But none of them were prepared for what actually happened following the changeover on November 16, 2008. In the midst of a severe recession, Main Street in Vancouver seemed to come back to life almost overnight.

Within a few weeks, the entire business community was celebrating. "We have twice as many people going by as they did before," one of the employees at an antique store told a local reporter. The chairman of the Vancouver Downtown Association, Lee Coulthard, sounded more excited than almost anyone else. "It's like, wow," he exclaimed, "why did it take us so long to figure this out?"

A year later, the success of the project is even more apparent. Twice as many cars drive down Main Street every day, without traffic jams or serious congestion. The merchants are still happy. "One-way streets should not be allowed in prime downtown retail areas," says Rebecca Ocken, executive director of Vancouver's Downtown Association. "We've proven that."

The debate over one-way versus two-way streets has been going on for more than half a century now in American cities, and it is far from resolved even yet. But the evidence seems to suggest that the two-way side is winning. A growing number of cities, including big ones such as Minneapolis, Louisville and Oklahoma City, have converted the traffic flow of major streets to two-way or laid out plans to do so. There has been virtually no movement in the other direction ...

Two-way streets in Vancouver WA, Part 1: "It's like, wow, why did it take us so long to figure this out?"

Vancouver, Washington ... 2009. It's a place where Bob Caesar does not live, because it's a city where reason prevailed.

Conversion to two-way streets revs up Vancouver retailers, by Allan Brettman (The Oregonian)

Converting three downtown streets from one-way to two-way appears to have done what a multimillion-dollar mixed-use makeover has not: breathe some life into the tired thoroughfares.

"Now we have twice as many people going by as they did before," said David Tarver, an employee of Old Town Antique Market on Main Street ...

... "It exceeded our expectations," said Lee Coulthard, chairman of Vancouver's Downtown Association. "It's like, wow, why did it take us so long to figure this out?"

Recap: How we met the firkins last Friday night.

It isn't everyone's pint of ale, but for those (like me) fascinated by the English tradition of cask-conditioning (i.e., naturally carbonating) beer, an event featuring local examples is much appreciated.

Bluegrass Brewing Company (St. Matthews) formerly hosted the cask fest, a kickoff for Louisville Craft Beer Week. This year, NABC took it over. Featured ales last Friday night were from Louisville metro and Indiana breweries. We were very pleased with the turnout, and we'll be doing it again next year. Thanks to the BIG guild for the equipment loan, participating breweries, and Bank Street Brewhouse's staff -- they knocked it out of the park, short-handed, on a Friday night.

Recap: New Albany Historic Home Tour 2013.

After the bedlam in Lanesville, we returned to New Albany around lunchtime on Saturday and strolled portions of the home tour. The view above shows wooden beams at the old Buchheit brewery building on 10th Street, which is being renovated as a dwelling.

Before Saturday, I'd never set foot in either the Town Hall Clock Church or the Scribner House. The latter prompted what I'll recall as the day's chief memory: The contrast between the south side of Main Street and the north.

I'll merely note that over the past few years, raising this topic of former windows, it seems that about the only issue that anyone in a position of authority in the city of New Albany actually agrees upon is the hopelessness of curing windowlessness. It's nothing against any building owner; we all have our particular issues, me included ... but really?

Is it really something that nothing can be done about?

Recap: Indie Fest 2013.

A gospel trio opened the musical program in Lloyd's Landing, and later in the day, former councilman Steve Price's band also performed. As MC noted on Twitter: "With both gospel & Steve at Lloyd's Landing, you know what Lloyd was saying from above, don't you? 'Well, f*** me'".

NA First's Kate Caufield tended to the necessaries.

BSB's draft lines included guests from our Indiana friends, and six more Hoosier brews were dispensed at Dragon King Daughter's beer garden (and the main stage). It was a mellow vibe all day long, and the dual beer garden plan worked quite well.

It was an excellent second year event. NA First's organizers rocked it, and so did BSB's and DKD's staffs.

Note that Indie Fest is not designed as a fund-raiser for NA First; it hopes only to break even. If you're an indie (and not named CeeSaw), I trust you grasp the impact of this revelation, in that your support is needed as this organization grows.

NABC on the Road: Fall Flea and Lanesville Heritage Weekend.

For a weekend each year, Lanesville becomes Woodstock, albeit with antique farm machinery. Arguably, Heritage Weekend is the signature fest in Southern Indiana.

The Lanesville Jaycees sold more Tafelbier this year than last, and we're happy about that.

Per capita, the Fall Flea -- just a mile down Tandy Road from the fest grounds -- was just about as crazed as Heritage Weekend. We sold a bit over two kegs in twelve hours over two days, and to a much smaller crowd ... without competition from swill, of course. Kudos to Amanda Gibson for a well-organized and supremely marketed event.

Everything in its right place.

"I feel at home, like I'm with a bunch of hippies." - Steve Price, bass and vocals for Youngstown Parade, New Albany Indiefest 2013, Lloyd's Landing at NABC's Bank Street Brewhouse

Emperor Caesar in 2011: "Change every street to two way (but) not Pearl Street. Pearl Street will NOT be two way."

In times like these, it's worth remembering that on July 26, 2011, councilman Bob Caesar actually gave his qualified approval for a two-way street conversion in New Albany. Not only did he say these words aloud, but he gave me explicit permission to record and publish them.

"I am for change. Change every street to two way (but) not Pearl Street. Pearl Street will NOT be two way. It's more convenient for people to park without having to drive around the block."

It happened at the infamous merchant mixer meeting, and the context comes in this excerpt. We join the meeting at the point when Caesar quotes numerous studies that he has yet to produce in more than two subsequent years, and just before he explodes into his most quoted tirade ever.

---

Merchant Mixer notes (2): Empty storefronts, Harvest Homecoming and Bob Caesar's all-way street confusion.

Two-way streets: John Rosenbarger explained that the city has procured a Federal street conversion grant subject to various Federal restrictions, which must have a 20% match from the city: $1.6 million from the Feds, and $400,000 from the city. Mayor England volunteered that while it’s “no slam against the council,” it would be the council’s job to find the money, which might come from EDIT.

Councilman, jewelry dealer and part-time Roman centurion Bob Caesar responded by defending the council, and added (italics mine): “One-way is the way to move traffic through a city; it is proven by numerous studies all across the country.”

The discussion continued, with the owners of Preston Art Supply joining Caesar in defending the inviolable sanctity of Pearl Street’s one-way flow, and this led to Caesar stating bluntly, unprompted and aloud:

“Pearl Street will NOT be two-way.”

I asked him how he could say this; he looked away and did not respond, but after the meeting, he walked past me and we had one of the most useless discussions in recent memory. If I were to have stated that 2 + 2 = 4, I'm certain he would disagree.

In short, after I asked him why he invariably opposes change and new ways of thinking about downtown areas, Caesar denied it, and explicitly permitted me to divulge this exact quote:

"I am for change. Change every street to two way (but) not Pearl Street. Pearl Street will NOT be two way. It's more convenient for people to park without having to drive around the block."

Don Preston added that all police departments support one-way street grids. Previously, Kathy Brennan had warned that if streets are two way, big trucks will park in traffic lanes to unload ... and what then? Throughout, listening to it, you'd think that cities are scary places, indeed, and meant for dashing into and away from as quickly as possible, in a car ... always in a car.

I realized (yet again) how so many of the older generation of merchants sincerely believes that whatever works out yonder in the soulless exurb should be implemented downtown, whereas the way I see it is that whatever can be done to create the polar opposite atmosphere downtown – including people-friendly, slower-moving traffic to accommodate humanity, and alternative modes of transportation apart from the automobile – should be the desired goal.

NAC has extensively and exhaustively made the case for two-way streets: Two-way traffic: A city permitted to function as designed is good for business.

All Bob Caesar and a handful of downtown reactionaries can offer in response are “numerous” studies, which he has so far failed to produce, and the admittedly honest (and I believe amazingly self-serving) stance that because he personally regards a one-way street as critical to his business (as though people cruising past a jewelry store are slamming on the brakes when they decide, spur-of-the-moment, to park next to the Endris front door and buy some bracelets), he will damn the torpedoes and impede potential two-way solutions in the same manner as he denounced the aborted proposal to divert the Harvest Homecoming Parade down Pearl Street.

Sometimes, as in the case of the usefulness of two-way streets, the future indeed is the past. A few questions occur to me:

Exactly when was Bob Caesar awarded veto power over the 21st century?

Is it true that Caesar, the most nominal of Democrats, is supporting Jameson Bledsoe, a Republican, in the 3rd district council race?

Am I the only one who cannot wait to see how Develop New Albany manages to avoid takng a position on two-way streets?

And: Why is rationality such a precious commodity 'round here?

"The move to two-way streets is the right one for New Albany" -- News and Tribune editorial board.

The newspaper comes down firmly on the two-way side of the street, spotlighting the abysmal isolation of the Caesarean Section reactionaries. The city council meeting in question in Thursday, and there needs to be further discussion of the two proposals; we'll get there as the week progresses. But for openers, the newspaper editorial board's view suffices. Excerpts only below, so click through to read the whole editorial.

September 15, 2013

OUR OPINION: Move forward on making streets two-way

Talk of switching one-way streets in New Albany to two-way traffic is the most fervent it’s been in years. And, it really has been years we’ve been talking about this.

On Thursday night’s city council meeting agenda are two separate resolutions set to be presented regarding possible conversion to two-way streets. The first by Councilman Greg Phipps seeks to appropriate $30,000 in riverboat funds to help facilitate a study to research how traffic would be affected by such a conversion ...

 ... At this point, it’s time to admit that two-way streets, for the most part, are the way to go. Major cities such as Dallas and Denver have been converting one-way streets to two-way in recent years, and it makes even more sense in a small city like New Albany.

Think of it this way: If a quaint, vibrant downtown is what New Albany leaders are after — and we hope they are — one-way streets are not the road best traveled. The goal of one-way streets is to move traffic through areas, not to get drivers to stop and enjoy the city.

Also, studies have shown that one-way streets lead to increased speeds from motorists, and there are generally less stopping intersections to slow them down. So converting to two-way streets makes a city safer for bicyclists and pedestrians as well ...

 ... The move to two-way streets is the right one for New Albany. We urge city leaders to take the steps to make sure the conversion is done in a safe and productive way.

— The News and Tribune editorial board is comprised of Publisher Bill Hanson, Editor Shea Van Hoy, Assistant Editor Chris Morris and Assistant Editor Jason Thomas. Responses can be sent to shea.vanhoy@newsandtribune.com

As we've been telling the health department ...

Photo courtesy of Blake Montgomery.

Indie Fest is today. Use it to reflect on whether we'll be able to get better.

Today is volume two of Indie Fest, and perhaps a time to pause and reflect. Questions and comments are many and varied.

• Is the local indie business community making progress toward unity? 
• How many local indie business people truly grasp the importance of street grid issues in furthering better conditions for business? 
• What has the city done in 2013 (i.e., marketing) to empower local indie businesses? 
• Are we ever going to address the iniquities of enforcement as they pertain to downtown parking? 
• Acknowledging that One Southern Indiana is as useless as ever, has Develop New Albany turned a corner and placed itself in a better position to, well, take positions? 

I could go on. You may have your own questions. The following was written in March, 2012.

No, I will not shut up, but thanks for the hint. Now, for more on the necessity of independent business empowerment.

Most of us accept that when it comes to power, a vacuum is a condition waiting to be filled. It almost always is.

In New Albany, with local government barely a blip on the chart, both Develop New Albany and One Southern Indiana (the latter to a lesser extent) exist to fill the vacuum created by the inexplicable, ongoing refusal of independent local business owners to organize themselves, to advance their economic interests as a bloc, and to take seriously their potential power as such a purpose-built collective.

At LouisvilleBeer.com: Tears of joy.

On the occasion of Louisville Craft Beer Week and IndieFest, my bimonthly column at LouisvilleBeer.com is devoted to drinking locally ... in Salzburg. The column has been published previously elsewhere, but not at LouisvilleBeer.com, and I trust my occasional recycling in hectic times does not offend.

Tears of joy at the Augustiner, 1985

Coming of age in the Ohio Valley in the 1960’s and ‘70’s meant witnessing on a depressing, first-hand basis the very nadir of beer culture in America.

In Colonial times, our beer making and drinking customs reflected English origins. Later, when Germans began coming to the United States in large numbers, their traditions traveled with them and remained intact. All big American cities and most of the smaller ones had breweries that took procedural, technical and atmospheric cues from the time-tested Central European playbook. It was a lovely thing, while it lasted.

Xenophobic sentiments in World War I did not help matters, and the idiocy of Prohibition sealed the deal, obliterating American beer culture for decades after. Following WWII, the imperial-era American preference for bland, manufactured uniformity wrenched beer from its fresh, local foundation, rendering it into watery oblivion, and subjecting beer to the multitudinous regulatory irrationalities of Bible Belt superstition.

Finally, a "godless" beer. There are tears in my eyes.

I'm no longer in the habit of "reviewing" beers; for a deeper explanation, read "Time off for reinvention" at the Potable Curmudgeon blog.

My friend brought a bottle of Gudeløs to last Monday's tasting. It is brewed by the Bryggeriet Djævlebryg in Dennmark, and the beer itself is mighty tasty, but the story's even tastier.

Bryggeriet Djævlebryg and the Danish Atheist Society have entered into an unholy alliance and the result is "Godless": This first batch is a somehow accessible imperial stout with its 8.9% abv. It offers burnt notes from the malt mingled with sweet nuances and a warming depth from the alcohol. This brew is primarly aimed at members of the Atheist Society, but it will also be available in selected shops and bars. In these times, when companies are expected to show social responsibility, we in the brewery have decided to follow suit: For each bottle or draft sold we donate 1 Danish Krone to the Danish Atheist Society.

Talk about frustration -- why didn't I think of doing it? It's also ironic, given that later in the week, Pope Francis decided to publicly ponder atheism and conscience.

In comments likely to enhance his progressive reputation, Pope Francis has written a long, open letter to the founder of La Repubblica newspaper, Eugenio Scalfari, stating that non-believers would be forgiven by God if they followed their consciences.

Progressive? Now now. Being an atheist with a conscience means never needing to be given advice by any of various popes.

Nash: "We can not afford to make the wrong decisions on how to combat the impact that tolls will have on this community."

Matt Nash grasps realities that elude selected council seat-warmers. Come to think of it, that's purely standard operating procedure.

NASH: Bracing for the impact

... If you don’t think that people will drive through the streets of New Albany to avoid paying $8-$24 for a round trip, then I have a bridge to sell you. It would be prudent to start preparing for the increased volume of traffic now. If we wait until our city’s streets are inundated by cars and semi trucks then we will only contribute to the growing congestion problem and we will have a harder time fixing it.

We have a history in New Albany of being reactive instead of proactive. Now is the time to act before it is too late and our streets are overwhelmed. The decision to build two bridges and pay for them with tolls is a decision we will be living with for a very long time. We can not afford to make the wrong decisions on how to combat the impact that tolls will have on this community.

Say the word "innovation" in New Albany ...

... and they generally think you said "syncopation," so they start dancing the Charleston -- say, wasn't flapper dancing a Bicentennial showcase event?

"If it works, keep it" and "it's all I've ever known and so I'm terrified" are two very different things. As I reminded Bob Caesar last week, it isn't like his long reign as arbiter of all that's good and decent downtown let to streets paved with gold (those turned out to be the ones leading to his domicile in Silver Hills.

No, it took different people, different money and different ways of thinking about development to so much as take the hesitant baby steps of recent years. When you read the first two comments in the discussion below, you see ideas -- streets comprise a real estate portfolio, and that parks needn't be big and expensive to be desirable -- that fully qualify as the AntiCaesar.

Just get out of the way, Bob. Your time has passed, and we must adapt and experiment now if we're too have any hope of surviving the effects of the bridges and tolling regime that you, yourself, tragically joined in imposing.

Dynamic Duos: Michael Bloomberg And Janette Sadik-Khan On The Future Of Walking, Biking, And Driving

Michael Bloomberg, Mayor
Janette Sadik-Khan, Commissioner, Department of Transportation

Sadik-Khan: The streets in a city like New York--6,300 miles of streets--it's the largest real estate portfolio the city has. So we have to make it more efficient. That's why designing in bike lanes, bus lanes, new capacity on the seven-line [subway] extension--it's all about using that existing resource, but looking at it differently.

Bloomberg: And it's not just roads. It's parks. With our PlaNYC, a park for everyone within 10 minutes was our [goal]; to get that, you have to take schoolyards and convert them into parks in the off-hours, simply because there's no room to go build new parks in the dense parts of our city. There are a lot of those kinds of things, and they impact the economy, they impact the psyche of the people who live here, they make the city more attractive.

Let's catch up with John Gonder's blogs.

As expected, good stuff.

First, on the emerging tolling heist.

Your Money's No Good Here

Jimmy Buffet's heading out to San Francisco. The white pants are being put away. Plaudits and platitudes about the heroism of the workplace echo throughout the land. It is Labor Day.

Here along one border within the nation, we are bowing to the supremacy of speed. We are allowing the bottom-line geeks who have somehow become transportation planners to determine that we need no hand-to-hand contact to float the Two Bridges Boondoggle. We shall, as those grandees determine, engage in the transportational equivalent of drone warfare. The over large Two Bridges plan has an over large price tag which must and will be funded by intermittent heists of the populace hereabouts. (Set aside for now that New Albany will bear the brunt of increased pass-through traffic of the cheapskates who don't want to pay an extra eight dollars to visit Aunt Ginny or buy something in Indiana.)

Second, on the absence of bread -- not dough, but the edible stuff. Actually this one might be resolved quite soon.

Waiting For Good Dough

Years passed in our little town aside the Ohio River. Years of decline layered upon years of decline. Even a few years of false starts passed in the same town, before they were layered over by more decline. During one of the false starts I remember watching an evening of mud wrestling--at the Grand. One of the young girls who maneuvered in the pit that night had to take her bows quickly, because she had to,"get showered, and shampooed, and get to work at The Dodge House", as the owner of the Grand, the emcee of the evening explained.

Here's your bakery, John.

The former Schad Law Office on the corner of Main and Bank is being transformed into Bread and Breakfast.

Artisan breads, health bars, and vegetable based muffins and loafs. Personalized banners and cards. I try to include local ingredients in my creations.

I began business literally as a roadside stand on Hwy 150 selling artisan bread and baked goods and also have sold at the local Farmer's Markets. I am currently rehabbing a building located on Main Street in New Albany and hope to be open for business in my retail location prior to the harvest Homecoming. My retail location will operate as "Bread and Breakfast".

Coming soon to my new retail location at the corner of Bank and Main in the old Schad Law Office building.