David Engwicht is a livable streets philosopher and author. Creator of the Walking School Bus, Mental Speed Bumps and many other innovative ways of taming traffic and increasing pedestrian safety, he has taken on “the challenge of a lifetime” to revitalize the downtown district of Wodonga, a small city in Australia often referred to as “Struggle Town” in comparison to its sister city Albury just across the Murray River.

Watch the video to see great placemaking in action. Engwicht has initiated the successful Lounging on High Friday night series. The diverse programming features giant versions of board games and an eclectic range of seating options, the goal being to encourage residents to take back their streets and re-imagine what is possible. To create a more human pace, on these Friday nights Wodonga closes one street and removes two lanes of car travel on another to encourage relaxation and fun.

David Engwicht (left): “If we can do this here…any city can take back their public space.”

Thousands of people flocked to the NY International Auto Show at the Javits Center on Saturday. In the midst of it all, Lady Liberty ended her 100 year “spectacularly combustible love affair” with the automobile. Lady Liberty said, “Frankly, this relationship has just gotten to be much more work than it’s worth. My health, liberty and freedom have suffered greatly, and now I hope that my new relationships will finally give me security and happiness.” Then Reverend Billy officiated her marriage to “Mr. Transit” and the Stop Shopping Gospel Choir sang in celebration.

Have you ever wished you could explore the borough of Queens on a bike with a large group of people? Maybe you have heard of or ridden in the Tour de Brooklyn or the Tour de Bronx and thought it would make sense for Queens to have a ride of its own? Hold your breath, no longer. The first annual Tour de Queens is planned for June 8, 2008!

Last week, the Transportation Alternatives’ Queens Committee hosted a fundraising Roller Race at the Creek & Cave bar. Watch this short video and find out what exactly a roller race is. If you would like get more info on the Tour de Queens and the Queens Volunteer Committee, contact: Mike Heffron.

I recently visited Istanbul, Turkey and was struck immediately by the car traffic congestion. However, knowing that Istanbul hosted the World Carfree Conference last year, I set out to uncover what NYC can learn from a city with a population of 12 million plus people, 2.4 million cars and at least 100,000 new vehicles each year.

I met up with urban planner, World Carfree Network Advisory Board Member and local StreetStar, Kevser Üstündag. As a professor at the Architectural Faculty of Mimar Sinan Fine Art University in Istanbul, she teaches about the social, environmental and economical impacts of urban transportation planning. In this video she discusses the importance of adjusting urban planning to the needs of people - including public transportation, pedestrian only streets, and Car-free Sundays.

With sincerest apologies to Fred Rogers, let’s go for a walk in Clarence Eckerson’s Neighborhood - where you will see a livable streets phenomenon created by (gulp!) double-parked cars.

On alternate side of the street parking days, many communities in Brooklyn have worked out a deal so car owners are allowed to double park with impunity so the streets can get their weekly brushing. (Okay, let’s not touch that argument today.) During the interim switchover when drivers are relocating their cars - usually lasting about 15 to 20 minutes - chicanes are temporarily created, which delightfully slow car speeds to more human levels.

We’re always trying to enlighten the public here at Streetfilms, by getting inventive using already existing street reality to placate opponents of traffic calming. (Remember our snowy neckdowns?) To add, yes, I have seen vans and small trucks successfully navigate narrow blocks like these. Also please note: in my travels, typical neckdown installations are usually much less drastic then the conditions created here.

Had enough livable streets lessons from Bogotá? Good. Neither have we.

In the final chapter of our September NYCSR visit to Colombia, where the indefatigable Gil Peñalosa was our tour guide, you’ll find lots of tasty video morsels including: riding the comfortable ciclorutas and cycle paths, a visit to a thriving pedestrian-only street where they said it couldn’t be done, a “bollard farm,” mucho footage of the city’s parks and public spaces and comments from the city’s residents. And we couldn’t resist - just a wee bit more dance mania at the Recreovia.

If this is your first foray into Bogotá, might we suggest these related Streetfilms which will bring you up to speed on Ciclovia and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT):

Ciclovia (9:41)

Bus Rapid Transit: Bogotá (7:29)

Mark Gorton Interviews Enrique Peñalosa (12:07)

Just dropping a note here to let you know if you want to show Streetfilms to your community, or you’re a livable streets advocate who wants to use our films in your work, or are from one of the many bike/livable streets film festivals throughout the world and want to show Streetfilms on the big screen - all you gotta do is ask!

We provide free DVDs (up to three) to anyone interested in making the world a better place. Our films are Creative Commons 3.0 tools and are able to be copied and distributed, embedded on sites, etc. so long as no one profits from them. If anyone wishes to re-edit our material for their own use, please ask Clarence for permission first at clarence (at) openplans.org.

To get those DVDs, it’s easy. Just email Lily Bernheimer, the NYC Streets Renaissance Project Coordinator, at lily (at) openplans.org and let her know which of our films you are interested in, give her your address. Our films are on volumes - most of which contain other Streetfilms - so you’ll most likely get additional videos with your request.

In the near future we will have an ordering form and special DVD theme collections.