Each week we will be focusing on blogs from around the world dealing specifically with urban environments. We’ll be on the lookout for websites outside the country that approach themes related to urban experiences and issues.
• The Atlantic Cities looks at some key lessons learned from America’s busway systems (segregated roads left exclusively to bus traffic) – Boston’s Silver Line, Los Angeles’ Orange Line, the Miami Busway and the Pittsburgh Busway. Best practices include off-board fare collection, elevated boarding platforms and signal priority at intersections with auto traffic.
• Belgian transportation company, De Lijn, is pioneering the SMS ticketing system on public transit systems in Antwerp and Gent. Users text a number and receive confirmation of their purchase by text message which they can then show to the driver and use to transfer between lines. SMS tickets are applied to mobile bills and save users up to 28% of the cost of standard tickets. (Dutch Mobility)
• It’s “poetry in motion” according to NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan. Known for her innovative approach to safer streets, JSK’s new poster campaign to improve road safety uses haikus and bold images by artist John Morse to catch attention. (Transportation Nation)
• Visuall profiles the work of urban sculptor Isaac Cordal. Cordal’s work – Cement Eclipses – uses miniature sculptures (25cm in height) to explore the human component of the urban environment and survival in the city.
• Meanwhile, Street Art Utopia celebrates the best street art of 2011.
Image from Visuall
Do you have a World Wide Wednesday worthy article you’d like to share? Send the link to www@spacing.ca