Systemic issues have led to a lack of diversity in the planning field. The injustices this has created and perpetuated are large and complex, however that doesn’t mean we as individuals and as a company don’t have a responsibility to engage with them. Alta has been working to build this into our company with our […]
Last month, Alta Planning + Design staff from around North America gathered in Syracuse, New York to attend the 2019 International Trails Symposium. Here’s what they learned. 1. Trails are a tool for justice One of the most memorable sessions at the conference was the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion discussion, led by Charles Thomas from […]
Left: Watching helplessly from the back of a motorbike as my friend takes on a typical rush hour intersection on one of Hanoi’s major roads. Right: In Hanoi’s maze of alleyways, motorbikes function better as family vehicles than, say, a minivan. When I first arrived in Hanoi, I was stunned by the seemingly lawless pandemonium of […]
Alta worked with Google to identify ways to decrease bicyclist stress and increase bicyclist comfort and connectivity to their Mountain View headquarters through a customized Bicycle Level of Traffic Stress Analysis. Measuring Bicycle Network Connectivity and Comfort Originally developed by researchers at the Mineta Transportation Institute, Bicycle Level of Traffic Stress (LTS) quickly assumed the mantle […]
The balance between improved perception of safety and improved connectivity can be difficult to strike. Bikeways are often considered safer if they involve little, if any, interaction between people bicycling and people driving or if greater degrees of physical separation are placed between a bikeway and a travel lane with heavy traffic volumes and/or high […]
Can a city leverage its bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure to balance long-standing social equity issues with economic and tourism development goals? The Alta Greenville office is currently working with the City of Hardeeville, South Carolina, on a bike and pedestrian trails master plan to help address this complex question. Hardeeville, which is located at the […]
From Regional Vision to Downtown Design The Alta Greenville office is currently working on two very different projects in the City of Moncks Corner, South Carolina; these projects will explore community issues, opportunities, and solutions through two very different planning “lenses.” One project will cast a vision for biking and walking in a large region that […]
Alta recently completed a draft of California’s first statewide bicycle and pedestrian plan. This document provides strategies and actions to support bicycling and walking, with major themes throughout of improving active transportation data collection and data systems for the state. In support of this guidance, we developed a baseline data collection methodology for the state, […]
By Fred Young, Principal, Alta Planning + Design The first question I always get is “how do you do a statewide pedestrian and bicycle plan for Alaska?” This is a legitimate question. Alaska is huge: we have all seen the map showing the state of Alaska spanning the width of the lower 48 states. Alaska […]
#WalkBikeForward: Join us on our journey honoring key moments and people that have shaped our field as we celebrate 20 years of creating active, healthy communities. Gabe Klein — former transportation department director in Chicago and Washington — is now a Co-Founder of CityFi, an advisory firm to cities and companies on urban change management. He is also a […]
