Category Archives: CREATING SUSTAINABLE CHANGE

CREATING SUSTAINABLE CHANGE

MOVING BEYOND CAR LEVEL OF SERVICE (LOS): Criteria for Transportation Investments, Project Designs, and Development Mitigation

Posted on June 30, 2014 by Steve Miller

Scaled from A to F like an elementary school report card, automobile Level of Service (LOS) metrics are easy to measure and easy to understand. LOS is, essentially, the average amount of delay compared to a “free-flowing” road where everyone is moving at full design-speed – congestion! It is a powerful indicator: it has a […] Continue reading →

Posted in Climate/Energy/Environment, CREATING SUSTAINABLE CHANGE, Government Reform, MassHighway/DOT, news, Project Management, Road Design | Comments Off on MOVING BEYOND CAR LEVEL OF SERVICE (LOS): Criteria for Transportation Investments, Project Designs, and Development Mitigation

MOVING BEYOND CAR LEVEL OF SERVICE (LOS): Measurable and Meaningful Criteria for Transportation Investments, Project Designs, and Development Mitigation (revised)

Posted on June 30, 2014 by Steve Miller

Scaled from A to F like an elementary school report card, automobile Level of Service (LOS) metrics are easy to measure and easy to understand. LOS is, essentially, the average amount of delay compared to a “free-flowing” road where everyone is moving at full design-speed – congestion! It is a powerful indicator: it has a […] Continue reading →

Posted in Climate/Energy/Environment, CREATING SUSTAINABLE CHANGE, Government Reform, MassHighway/DOT, news, Project Management, Road Design | Comments Off on MOVING BEYOND CAR LEVEL OF SERVICE (LOS): Measurable and Meaningful Criteria for Transportation Investments, Project Designs, and Development Mitigation (revised)

A NOTE FOR THE NEXT GOVERNOR: Travel is the Least Important Thing about Transportation

Posted on May 27, 2014 by Steve Miller

Congratulations on your election. As you know, that was the easy part!   Here’s something waiting for you: our transportation system is in crisis. We can’t seem to generate the political will needed to raise the money required to upgrade our decayed rails, roads, bridges, and sidewalks to meet the needs of today – much less […] Continue reading →

Posted in CREATING SUSTAINABLE CHANGE, Government Reform, news, Road Design, safety | Comments Off on A NOTE FOR THE NEXT GOVERNOR: Travel is the Least Important Thing about Transportation

STEERING THE ORGANIZATION: Using Decision-Point Criteria to Achieve Goals

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Steve Miller

MassDOT is legitimately proud of its progressive policies about creating a sustainable, multi-modal transportation system.  But the transfer from policy to facts on the ground has been very uneven and incomplete.  This isn’t surprising:  as with many other endeavors, road construction is a complex and multi-player process with gridlock and human life at stake.  It’s […] Continue reading →

Posted in CREATING SUSTAINABLE CHANGE, Government Reform, MassHighway/DOT, news, Road Design | Comments Off on STEERING THE ORGANIZATION: Using Decision-Point Criteria to Achieve Goals

EFFECTIVE AND DEMOCRATIC CITY (AND TRANSPORTATION) PLANNING: Neither Top-Down nor Bottom-Up Is Enough

Posted on March 11, 2014 by Steve Miller

The Human Scale is a wonderful movie based on the powerful insights and work of progressive urban planner, Jan Gehl; it’s now available in CD format.  Everyone who loves cities should see it.  In potently visual scenes, the film lays out his critique of today’s automobile-focused high-rise urban design, the dangers of top-down authoritarian planning […] Continue reading →

Posted in advocacy, Commentary & Analysis, CREATING SUSTAINABLE CHANGE, Government Reform, MassHighway/DOT | Comments Off on EFFECTIVE AND DEMOCRATIC CITY (AND TRANSPORTATION) PLANNING: Neither Top-Down nor Bottom-Up Is Enough

EFFECTIVE AND DEMOCRATIC CITY (AND TRANSPORTATION) PLANNING: Neither Top-Down nor Bottom-Up Is Enough

Posted on March 11, 2014 by Steve Miller

The Human Scale is a wonderful movie based on the powerful insights and work of progressive urban planner, Jan Gehl; it’s now available in CD format.  Everyone who loves cities should see it.  In potently visual scenes, the film lays out his critique of today’s automobile-focused high-rise urban design, the dangers of top-down authoritarian planning […] Continue reading →

Posted in advocacy, CREATING SUSTAINABLE CHANGE, Government Reform, MassHighway/DOT, news | Comments Off on EFFECTIVE AND DEMOCRATIC CITY (AND TRANSPORTATION) PLANNING: Neither Top-Down nor Bottom-Up Is Enough

GETTING MORE EGGS FROM THE GOLDEN GOOSE: “Nobody in this Country got Rich on their Own.”

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Steve Miller

It takes resources to run a city. Of course, the most important resource is people: the capabilities and creativity of its work force, the strength and resiliency of its families and neighborhoods, the civic engagement of its residents – and if Mayor Walsh is really smart he will find many ways to encourage city volunteerism […] Continue reading →

Posted in CREATING SUSTAINABLE CHANGE, Government Reform, news | Comments Off on GETTING MORE EGGS FROM THE GOLDEN GOOSE: “Nobody in this Country got Rich on their Own.”

SMART CITIES, POWER POLITICS, & QUALITY OF LIFE: Technology and What It’s Used For

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Steve Miller

Techno-utopians.  It wasn’t long ago that we were being told that digital Information and Communication Technologies would solve nearly every problem and transform the world in wonderful ways, small and big.  Cars would be routed around congestion; government would more accurately chart population needs. Although there were some efforts to broaden the scope of “smart” […] Continue reading →

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FOR A HEALTHIER YEAR IN A HEALTHIER WORLD

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Steve Miller

Solstice.  New Years.    The annual Janus; looking both forward and backward at another year of transitions and challenges. As we look out our windows at the energized serenity of fresh snow, hope for both personal and societal peace and progress grows anew.  Like so many of you, I spend a lot of time and energy […] Continue reading →

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MassDOT’S HEALTHY TRANSPORTATION POLICY DIRECTIVE: Framing Economic Needs as Public Health Measures Strengthens Both

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Steve Miller

MassDOT’s recently issued Healthy Transportation Policy Directive could actualize the most profound transformation in the state’s transportation system since the anti-highway movement convinced Governor Frank Sargent to cancel the massive Inner Belt project (the first time any state had done this) and his Transportation Secretary, Alan Altshuler, got the state’s Congressional delegation to pass legislation […] Continue reading →

Posted in CREATING SUSTAINABLE CHANGE, MassDOT Transformation, MassHighway/DOT, news, Public Health, safety | Comments Off on MassDOT’S HEALTHY TRANSPORTATION POLICY DIRECTIVE: Framing Economic Needs as Public Health Measures Strengthens Both