October 4, 2013

NACTO gears up for Designing Cities Phoenix (October 27-29, 2013) 

With less than a month to go until NACTO’s Designing Cities conference arrives on Phoenix, excitement is building in the sunbelt for the three-day summit on world-class streets and public spaces. The conference is themed around the Urban Street Design Guide, with a focus on how to adapt the guide to growing cities and communities in the region. Each conference participant will receive a personal copy of the design guide and will take part in panels that reflect the book’s guiding principles and innovative ideas.
Register for Designing Cities Phoenix.
Download the most recent Schedule of Events here.

All-Star Panel Celebrates Launch of Urban Street Design Guide

On September 23, 2013, NACTO celebrated the launch of its Urban Street Design Guide with a night at the Newseum, featuring an all-star panel consisting of NACTO President and NYC DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan and Brookings Vice President Bruce Katz. Moderated by New York Times Architecture Critic Michael Kimmelman, the panel touched upon the major trends in transportation and city-making today, from the struggling resurgence of Detroit to the evolution of New York City’s bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. Co-hosted with the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, the night concluded with a call for cities, states, and the federal government to adopt and endorse the Guide.

Urban Street Design Guide Hits the Streets

It’s official. The Urban Street Design Guide is now available. Both a print document available for purchase and an interactive web site, the Guide covers topics from parklets to shared streets to bioswales, using rich visuals to make street design accessible to city leaders, citizens, planners, designers, and engineers. The guide came to fruition as a result of unprecedented collaboration among NACTO’s member cities, with expertise from lead consultant Nelson\Nygaard and web design by Blinktag.

Public webinars for the Guide will be co-hosted with APBP on November 6 (3:00-4:00 PM ET) and with ITE on November 14 (12:00-1:30 PM ET). NACTO will be kicking off an endorsement campaign for cities and states to adopt the Guide in October, so stay tuned for updates!

The Urban Street Design Guide is published by Island Press. Purchase the Guide now.

Cities for Cycling Road Show coming to Austin, TX in November

On November 11-13, Cities for Cycling is headed to the city of Austin, Texas. Following Memphis and Indianapolis as the third Road Show in 2013, Austin sets its sights on ambitious mode shift goals, a 2014 Bike Share launch, and a robust downtown network of protected bike lanes. The Road Show will be highlighted by representatives from Chicago, New York, and Portland. Click here for more information on the Austin Road Show.