Photo by Veni on Flickr.

Hillary Clinton is articulating her vision to help Americans with housing, what happens when people making decisions about transit don’t know what it’s like to depend on it, and a look at where row houses fit into the national landscape. Check out what’s happening around the country in transportation, land use, and other related areas!

Hillary’s housing hopes: Hillary Clinton wants living near quality jobs, schools, and transportation to be easier, and she’s making affordable housing part of her agenda. Her proposal would boost funding for both programs that help people buy homes as well as public housing. (Virginia-Pilot)

Get the board on the bus: Given how much they influence how people get around, perhaps transit board members should ride the bus— or at least know details about the system they work on. Some recent applicants for the DART Board of Directors in Dallas are clueless when it comes to transit-oriented development and taxpaying riders. (Dallas Observer)

Reliant on row houses The row house is the workhorse of dense older cities around the country, but it’s becoming less popular. It’s possible that row houses could be the “missing middle” that can help address the country’s housing needs. (Urban Omnibus)

Questioning King Car: Cars are a large part of American culture, like it or not. But they also cost a lot of money, time, and lives. Since September 11th, 2001, over 400,000 people have died in automobile collisions. Is that a worthwhile price to pay for convenience? (The Atlantic)

Bridges of Amsterdam city: Amsterdam has far more canals and bridges than the average city, but only one bridge runs across the large river that separates the more industrial side of the city from where most people live. There is a tunnel and a number of ferries, neither of which is idea for walking or biking. But as more development happens and free ferries are overwhelmed, a bridge may be the next step. (City Metric)

Struggling city streams: In the midwest, streams in urban places are rare. Detroit, for example, has lost 86% of its surface streams. That worries ecologists because streams regulate water flow and keep wildlife healthy. (Great Lakes Echo)

Are we building boredom?: Buildings designed like boxes are bad for us. Research shows that human excitement wanes on streets with boring facades, causing stress that affects our health and psychological wellbeing. (New York Magazine)

Quote of the Week

“I think it’s important to remember that these are serious crimes with emotional consequences. It’s interesting nonetheless to watch how burglars use architecture, but that isn’t enough reason to treat them like folk heroes.” - Architecture writer Geoff Manaugh discussing his new book,

A Burglar’s Guide to the City in Paste Magazine.