Week in Review 1/6-1/13/2012

Congress Tells Americans: Commute by Car, Not Transit
By Steven Dornfeld, Minnpost

From the article: “The federal tax code is riddled with questionable provisions designed to encourage or reward certain kinds of behavior. And it only seems to get worse.” Read more.

St. Croix River Crossing Is an Albatross
Article, which appeared in the Star Tribune editorial section, is by Betty McCollum.

From the article: “The Klobuchar-Bachmann legislation, which I strongly oppose, specifically dictates the bridge's design, requiring MnDOT to build an exotic and enormous 'extradosed'-style bridge. By mandating the largest possible bridge, their legislation, if passed by Congress, would establish a precedent that essentially guts the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, putting some 200 protected rivers at risk.” Read more.

State Not Rushing to Act on Vikings Stadium
By Mike Kaszuba and Eric Roper, Star Tribune

From the article: “Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak said the city's proposal was the ‘only plan that puts significant dollars on the table without raising new taxes.’” Read more.

Do Cities Need Universities to Survive?
By Nate Berg, The Atlantic Cities

From the article: “The so-called ‘town and gown’ relationship between cities and universities has become increasingly important in recent years. As universities contribute more and more to the local economy through research, reputation and building, they’re seen not only as educational and cultural institutions, but economic development tools. But how much should cities rely on universities?” Read more.

When Shops and Services Are within Walking Distance, We Walk More and Drive Less
By Kaid Benfield, Switchboard NRDC Blog

From the article: “New research from Southern California has found that residents of neighborhoods with a central core of shops and services—a pattern typically found in older, traditional communities—walk nearly three times more often than do residents of neighborhoods whose nearest shops and services lie along a major arterial roadway—a pattern typically found in newer suburban development.” Read more.