The Project for Public Spaces recently held several major conferences, one of which was held in the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. The 2014 Pro Walk/Pro Bike/Pro Place conference turned out record-breaking attendance and some exciting news for bike lanes all over the country.
The Project for Public Spaces reports on their website that “more than 1,000 people attended from all 50 states in the U.S. and 12 different countries! The panels also represented a wide array of topics from women and bicycling to community engagement, and tours showcased newly unveiled separated bike lanes fresh for riding on.”
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx also announced a new initiative to focus in on safety for bikers and pedestrians by initiating road diets and street improvements.
Streetsblog reports Foxx as saying, “The top priority will be closing gaps in walking and biking networks where “even if people are following the rules, the risk of a crash is too high.“
In one of the final presentations, Ethan Kent of PPS advocated for re-imagining the way we see our city streets. Instead of seeing them as objects, Kent is suggesting we see “Streets as Places.” “We are all converging around Place and we need a bolder vision for what a street can be,” says the Project for Public Spaces.
You can read a full report about all three conferences here.
