Old news but even more relevant

Grant application a step toward possible commuter rail line
Brad Dicken | The Chronicle-Telegram

ELYRIA — Talks of commuter rail between Lorain and Cleveland are once again coming down the tracks.
And county officials are hoping an Ohio Department of Development grant will provide the steam to move it along.
The $80,000 grant — for which the commissioners approved filing an application on Thursday — would pay the county’s portion of a feasibility study to examine the need and cost of the project.
The Federal Transportation Administration would pay the remaining $343,000.
If deemed feasible, the county would then have to convince the federal government to shell out the money for train cars, staffing and to set up stations between Lorain and Cleveland.
Lorain County Commissioner Betty Blair, a longtime proponent of commuter rail, said she’s excited at the prospect of getting ir. And there’s support from the other communities along the path of the train, she said.
“There’s a lot of interest and a lot of buy-in,” she said.
The county should know whether it gets the grant by September, Assistant County Administrator Ron Twining said.
If not, Blair said the county could pay its share or ask the other communities that would use the line to help.
County Special Project Director Karen Davis said the concept of commuter rail has grown in popularity as gas prices have gone up.
If the feasibility study, which is updating a 2001 study on commuter rail completed by the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, suggests commuter rail is a good idea for the area, the county would then push for the trains to come.
But even that, Twining said, would likely be a two-year study itself to see if the concept will work in the area.

Swiss countryside succumbs to urban sprawl

Swiss countryside succumbs to urban sprawl

Switzerland has gone from a largely rural country to an urban one in just 70 years with developmental sprawl taking over pristine alpine regions, a study has found.
The Swiss National Science Foundation study released on Wednesday revealed that since 1935 urban development has claimed as much of the Swiss landscape as it did during the previous 2,000 years.

Livable Streets Education

Livable Streets Education is working closely with classroom teachers and field experts to craft units for schools to use. We will publish some of our Elementary School units for use in the classroom soon.

LOOK FOR THE FOLLOWING:
The Streets Around Us (Kindergarten Community Study)
Use your Street Smarts (First Grade Community Study)
Getting Around (Second Grade Transit Unit)
Bridges and Tunnels (Second Grade City Study)
THESE UNITS WILL INCLUDE:
A Teacher’s Guide
A Workbook for Students
Lesson Plans

Livable Streets Education
349 West 12th Street, #3
New York, NY 10014
phone: 212-796-4211

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