Ben Fried started as a Streetsblog reporter in 2008 and led the site as editor-in-chief from 2010 to 2018. He lives in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, with his wife.
Ben Fried
Recent Posts
Bloomberg to Obama: Stimulus Aid Should Go Directly to Cities
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A face-to-face back in April. Photo: Scoop08. Yesterday the President-elect unveiled the broad strokes of his economic recovery plan at a DC press event, and Mayor Bloomberg was there to give his response. Bloomberg’s message is critical for the prospects of green transportation in the upcoming stimulus package. Here’s the abbreviated version via Liz Benjamin […]
Chicago Loses NYC’s Congestion Pricing Money
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Will Chicago get a second chance at federal funds for better bus service? Photo: celikins/Flickr Looks like New York legislators aren’t the only ones willing to pass up big money for transportation improvements if it means putting a fair price on private auto use. Back in April, the feds withdrew a $354 million grant to […]
Tell Congress: Don’t Waste Money on Highway Expansion
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States should know better than to funnel more money into road expansion at the expense of maintenance. With President-elect Obama back in Washington, action is heating up again around the economic recovery package, which could total up to $850 billion over the next two years. As much as $100 billion may be at stake for […]
Campaign Flashback: Obama an Admirer of Jane Jacobs
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This vid has been making the rounds via Streetsblog Network member Beyond DC. In it we see candidate Obama tell a crowd in Toledo that the Death and Life of Great American Cities is "a great book" and delve into some talking points about the importance of cities to regional economies. Read into it what […]
Obama and Biden Plan Whistle-Stop Inauguration Tour
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Looks like the new administration is sending better signals with its inauguration plans than with its most recent White House appointment. TPM has more on the rail-friendly gesture and its traffic-mitigating impact: The Presidential Inaugural Committee has hit on a novel way of reducing the pressure that the enormous crowd expected to show up on […]
Sprawlsville Steps Back From the Edge
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A section of Tysons Corner slated for infill development. Image: Fairfax County/PB PlaceMaking [PDF] Last week the Federal Transit Administration finally approved the Silver Line, a long-awaited addition to the capital region’s transit system that will extend to suburbs in northern Virginia. There are still a few hoops to jump through to secure the necessary […]
Gehl-O-Rama: City Agencies Take Lessons From Copenhagen
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After evaluating downtown streets, city staff reported their findings on public life. Photo: Shin-pei Tsay. Before hitting the "World Class Streets" launch Thursday night, Jan Gehl addressed about 70 staffers from DOT, City Planning, and NYCEDC, part of a day-long exercise that introduced participants to the Danish planner’s site evaluation methods. Commissioners Amanda Burden and […]
Urbama Admin? Prez-Elect ‘The Real Deal’ Says Metro Policy Guru
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If Barack Obama’s soft spot for Detroit has you doubting his urban policy bona fides, Bruce Katz offers a few words of reassurance. The Stamford Advocate reports from Katz’s recent appearance before a Connecticut smart-growth group: Katz is vice president and founding director of the Washington, D.C.-based Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy, […]
Reason to Like Rahm Emanuel as White House Chief of Staff
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Spotted in today’s Times story on Barack Obama’s emergency economic agenda: Mr. Obama is coordinating with Congressional Democrats behind the scenes on the stimulus plans, which would include more jobless benefits, food stamps, aid to financially strapped states and cities, and spending for infrastructure projects that keep people at work. His chief liaison has been […]
Ped-Bike Mockery Flops for 7-Term House Incumbent
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The National Republican Congressional Committee ran this ad against Democratic challenger Kathy Dahlkemper in the race for Pennsylvania’s third congressional district. It hits a few Gingrichian notes on how to address the country’s energy problems before the announcer tells us incredulously: Dahlkemper’s wacky solution? She said we should make personal sacrifices, such as walking places […]
If Gridlock Sam Was President…
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A bit of pre-Election Day fun: Here’s a mock state-of-the-union speech drafted for the next President by "Gridlock" Sam Schwartz. Combining some ideas from Barack Obama’s platform with some that no candidate would utter during a presidential campaign, he lays out a plan for infrastructure investment and how to pay for it: The National Infrastructure […]
The Build for America Plan: Invest in Transportation, Create Jobs
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Janette Sadik-Khan, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and Lee Sander. Photo: Paul White. The Build for America campaign officially launched yesterday afternoon at Grand Central Terminal, one of six events held in cities across the nation. DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan — joined by MTA chief Lee Sander, U.S. reps Jerrold Nadler and Carolyn Maloney, and a bevy […]