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City Decentralization and Happy Valley

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  Written by Evan Ferstl The State College Urban Area. Map from Census Reporter based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau. One thing that has really struck me as our group engages in advocacy is how powerless it can feel as members of the borough because of how little of the urban area is actually governed by State College. The worst parts of the built environment, like along North Atherton street, are not part of the borough, but they have a huge impact on us. If we decide to become a more urbanist community, but Ferguson township, or Patton township, or any of the other municipal bodies adjacent to us continue down their sprawling, car-dependent path, that is going to force tons of cars to commute to the borough no matter what we do. Additionally, many of these places are close enough to downtown that they should be creating more housing. But what if that responsibility falls only on the borough? These are difficult problems to contend with. One thing I think should be noted is that
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Don't Let Winter Weather Slip You Up

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  Written by Alexela Hoyt Snow falling in downtown State College. Photo by Mikey DeAngelis, Onward State. It can take 600 feet or more to come to a complete stop while driving 35mph in icy conditions. Yes, even if you have a car with 4 wheel drive! Winter is upon us, and these last couple of weeks have brought plenty of snow. With this in mind, Strong Towns Happy Valley would like to provide some winter safety and comfort tips. Driving in winter weather While we would love to see an increase in public transportation in the State College area, it is still important to make sure we are driving safely to protect ourselves and those around us. ·         SLOW DOWN!! o    It can take 600 feet or more to come to a complete stop from 35mph in icy conditions. o    4 wheel drive cars will require the same amount of stopping distance as 2 wheel drive cars; 4 wheel drive does not mean 4 wheel stop. o    Active snowfall is not the only indicator of icy conditions. Rain and snowmelt fo
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Bicycles and Icicles: Seven Tips for Riding in Winter

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  Written by Anne Johnson A bike parked in the snow on Penn State's campus. Growing up in Michigan, winter was always a big part of the year, with many fun outdoor activities like skiing, ice skating, sledding, and more that could only be done while the snow was around. Still, there were some activities that most people relegated to warmer seasons, and for many, one of these activities was biking.  However, this did not have to be so! Below are seven tips that helped me (and hopefully will help you) continue to bike in the winter. 1. Go Slow in the Snow Winter riding often has many more challenges than other times of the year, with snow blocking paths and ice making things slippery. This means it’s very important to go carefully - go slow to give plenty of time to spot unexpected obstacles and be sure to leave more time and distance for braking. 2. Keep Your Clothing Warm and Bright Things can get quite cold during the winter, so be sure to dress appropriately. Wearing layers can h
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Paved Paradise Book Review

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  Written by Evan Ferstl Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World by Henry Grabar. Photo from Penguin Press. Recently, I read the new book Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World by Henry Grabar. Given the current discussions around parking in State College, I thought this would be an interesting read and was not disappointed. Here are some of my main takeaways: There is a massive oversupply of parking in American cities Grabar makes many arguments familiar to anyone familiar with Strong Towns talking points. American cities have built so many parking spots that it has brought them to ruin. While most parking is free for parkers, it is expensive for cities to maintain, creating a massive subsidy (81). Parking availability is the number one predictor of car use, and greater car use in turn leads to an insatiable demand for more parking (82). Cities and their residents routinely believe incorrectly that they are facing a parking shortage. (85). This last point is particularl
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College Communities

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  Written by Ethan Dean The Penn State Transportation Services Office, located in Eisenhower Parking Deck. Photo from Penn State Transportation Services. College campuses are some of the most urbanized places in the country, with ample housing where students live and buildings located right near food and downtowns. However, they still suffer from many of the same problems that America has with its transit, if to a lesser extent. In this post, we will briefly look at the structure of transportation design on campuses using our own Penn State as an example. Penn State has a few different groups involved in transportation, but much of the general day-to-day transit is operated and run by the Office of the Physical Plant. This group manages roads, lights, and the broad infrastructure and layout of the university. They even have a master plan and other reports on the state of their infrastructure. I would recommend checking out this page to see who works here, what the projects are, and ho
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Sidewalk Cracks: Oddities of Pedestrian Infrastructure

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Written by Anne Johnson   An approximately 100 yard gap in the sidewalk along Toftrees Avenue in Patton Township. If you look closely, you can see the sidewalk start again just beyond the mailbox. Fall is one of my favorite times of year to walk, with the temperature perfectly cool, the new colors of the leaves, and a sense of the world changing around me. Thus, when I needed a quick break this weekend, I decided to go for a stroll and enjoy some of the last nice weather of the year. As I was walking along Toftrees Avenue in Patton Township, I came to an area where the sidewalk abruptly ended, and then picked up again perhaps 100 yards ahead. This seemed quite odd to me, so I decided to find out why. Turns out that in Patton Township, as in the Borough of State College, College Township, Ferguson Township, and many other places throughout the United States, the maintenance and construction of sidewalks is the responsibility of the owner of the property beside the sidewalk. While Patton
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Zoning Out: How Low-Density Zoning Prevents Our Community from Growing

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  Written by Ethan Dean Figure 1: This figure shows the zoning boundaries of State college borough currently. The only area for mixed use is situated right up against the university. This area is a few square miles Zoning plays a pivotal role in shaping the urban fabric of our communities and is often underestimated in its influence. Zoning has the power to change streets into a row of houses, a dense network with cafes, erect high-rises, or maintain lawn and parking lots. In the State College Area, zoning complexities are of particular interest due to the multiple municipal boundaries. Within our borough, Figure 1 depicts a significant zoning rule: it is ILLEGAL to build anything but single-family housing units on 10000 sqft parcels within residential zoned areas (this is all the orange to yellow on the map). While these regulations may seem protective, they result in extremely low-density areas that are expensive to maintain and contribute to unused space within our community. Zon
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