Building community by learning from others
One of the first lessons I learned as a consultant many years ago is that every community has its own public decision-making process. What flies by with no commentary in…
Dangerous By Design Hits Home
It was probably not how Andy Holcombe wanted to start his first day of an internship with the Philadelphia Phillies. Nor was it my intent to spend part of the…
Creating a Safer Pinellas County
Smart Growth America’s Dangerous by Design report released today ranks the Tampa Bay area as the seventh most dangerous metro area in the country for people walking. Despite that dubious…
Transportation Leadership on the Agenda for Tampa Bay
In the wake of failed transportation funding proposals in Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties, there’s a growing chorus of voices on both sides of Tampa Bay about how we finally figure…
TBX and the choices we face
The recent vote to support funding for the Tampa Bay Express (TBX) in the Hillsborough County MPO’s Transportation Improvement Program illustrates the difficult choices we face to improve transportation in…
Forward Pinellas – Branding a new identity
The role of transportation and land development in Pinellas County took on increased importance with passage of a special act of the Florida Legislature in 2014 unifying a 13-member governing board…
Improving Gulf Boulevard Safety is No Accident
Pick almost any month and you can read about a crash involving a pedestrian and automobile somewhere along Gulf Boulevard in Pinellas County. Often, these crashes include a fatality or serious…
Steps for a more accessible Pinellas County
Access, the means of approaching or entering a place, is an often overlooked indicator of how successfully a community is evolving from nondescript corridor to place. Shifting from an emphasis on…
A Walk on the Streets of Largo
I set out on a warm and sunny winter day after work, before the next cold front arrives, to meet the dual objectives of exercise and to enjoy social interaction…
Pinellas MPO enthusiastic about prospects for countywide bike share
As I introduced the Pinellas Countywide Bike Share Feasibility item at the mid-point of Wednesday’s Pinellas County MPO meeting, I jokingly told the board we had allotted one-and-a-half hours for…
Enhancing Beach Community Access in Pinellas County
Pinellas County is defined by its geography. Water on three sides, inland lakes and numerous bays, inlets, canals and wetlands make for a compact place to put people, commerce, industry…
From Transition to Transformation
The year 2015 was one of transition for the Pinellas Planning Council and Metropolitan Planning Organization, and for me personally. It began with the newly unified agency in the process…
