Nelson\Nygaard named a Silver Bicycle Friendly Business by the League of American Bicyclists
Washington, D.C.
April 22, 2013
As businesses race to retrofit their buildings, streamline waste policies, and purchase more and more recycling bins, some companies have already targeted a free and easy way to be more environmentally conscious: bicycling.
On this Earth Day, the League of American Bicyclists recognized Nelson\Nygaard with a Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB) award for leading America toward a greener future.
With the announcement of 63 new BFBs today in 44 states and Washington, D.C., Nelson\Nygaard joins a visionary group of more than 500 local businesses, government agencies and Fortune 500 companies across the United States that are transforming the American workplace.
“More and more business leaders are realizing that bicycling is a simple and cost-effective way to move toward a more productive company,” said Andy Clarke, President of the League of American Bicyclists. “Promoting healthy transportation is increasingly attractive to employers and prospective employees and it’s moving America toward a more sustainable future.”
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Report Studies Inefficiencies in Campus Transport Systems
by Julia Skulstad
The Badger Herald
March 2013
A consulting firm, hired to evaluate the University of Wisconsin’s public transportation services, released their final report last Thursday, providing the first steps for university’s transportation improvement initiative.
Darwin Ward, UW Transportation Services commuter solutions manager, said the study, performed by Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, outlined strategies for the development of accessible services and the campus bus system at the university, including new paratransit options and campus circulators with shorter routes, in an email to The Badger Herald.
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New Approach To Downtown Parking
by Valerie Garner
The Roanoke Star Online
December 2012
Roanokers “can get very emotional about parking,” said City Manager Chris Morrill, as he prepared council for a downtown parking briefing last week. They were about to hear some “out of the box” solutions to Roanokers’ perception of downtown parking. “This is just a starting point,” cautioned Morrill.
The Roanoke Valley Alleghany Regional Commission conducted a study of downtown parking. Former Planning Director Tom Carr applied for and received an EPA technical assistance grant for an on-street parking audit. Nelson/Nygaard was paid directly for their work, which included analyzing data collected by the RVARC. Nelson-Nygaard’s work was really complementary to that of RVARC, explained Planning Administrator Chris Chittum.
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Atlanta’s Taxicab Industry Might See Changes
by Jeremiah McWilliams
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
December 2012
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Taxicabs in Atlanta could soon be newer, with mandatory credit card machines and access for handicapped people and more courteous drivers.
At least, that’s the plan.
The city’s roughly 1,550 taxicabs and 2,500 drivers are a key part of the region’s $11 billion hospitality engine. But complaints from visitors about old, somewhat dingy cabs — along with grumbles from taxi operators about antiquated regulations — have led the city to consider a raft of changes.
Many of the changes are still being debated but could be proposed as law as early as next year.
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City Researching Ways to Improve Bus System
Newsplex.com
December 5, 2012
Charlottesville is looking into improving the local bus system, Charlottesville Area Transit (CAT).
The Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. is a transportation and transit planning firm that is currently researching ways to redesign CAT services. Their goal is to improve ridership through altering routes, increasing efficiency, and considering future developments to the system.
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Sacramento Eases Parking Requirements for New Projects
by Tony Bizjak
TheSacramento Bee
November 2012
Hoping to chip away at its reputation for being a tough place to start a business, Sacramento has embraced a plan that business owners will cheer, but some drivers may jeer.
In December, the city will cut the number of parking spaces new businesses, such as restaurants and stores, are required to build.
The same goes for new urban housing projects.
The idea is to lure businesses that will create jobs downtown and in the city's commercial areas. Another target: developers of urban housing whose residents may not even own cars at all.
"This is a monumental shift in how we approach parking requirements on development projects," said Sacramento City Manager John Shirey. "We need to eliminate the unnecessary roadblocks that sometimes stifle projects."
City planners say existing parking rules cause some would-be business owners to back away. For some apartment complexes and condominiums, parking requirements make up 20 percent of a project's cost. Parking spaces also steal space that could be used for living units.
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St. Paul Contemplates Bringing Back Streetcars
by Anna Pratt
The Line, Development News
November 2012
In the future, St. Paul could once again have a streetcar system. Right now, the city is weighing its options, with the help of a San Francisco consulting firm, Nelson\Nygaard, which is conducting a feasibility study on the topic, according to Nancy Homans, a policy advisor to Mayor Chris Coleman.
The study, which will probably take a year to complete, entails “doing preliminary work around possible routes and identifying criteria by which we’ll evaluate both the geometrics of the street and transit ridership issues," she says.
Funding for the $250,000 study comes from the city, Ramsey County, the Central Corridor Funders Collaborative, the McKnight Foundation and the Saint Paul Foundation, according to Finance and Commerce.
Over the next year, the city, with the help of the consulting firm, will also be asking for feedback from the public on its findings.
The city’s streetcars went away about 40 years ago. “It was once a well-developed system,” she says. The reason streetcars are coming up these days is because “They are a good transit type of vehicle. People appreciate the fixed route,” she says, adding that the economic development impact has also been demonstrated. “They support the business node and link into the larger regional system,” she says.
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What's the Secret Sauce? The Story of Nelson\Nygaard
by Richard Friedman
The Friedman File - Information and Advice for A/E/C Industry Leaders
October 2012
Occasionally, I come across firms that cause me to scratch my head and ask, "How do they do that?" Such was the case last year at the A/E Advisors' CEO Forum in Scottsdale. There, I met Paul Jewel of Nelson\Nygaard, an 80-person transportation planning firm based in San Francisco, with six other offices across the country.
Paul has the title of COO. His firm does not have, and has never had in its 25 years, a CEO. Nor does it have a Chairman of the Board. But those are just a few of the interesting quirks about this firm, which Jewel refers to as "a bunch of progressive planners who began with two women working out of a garage." Since those humble beginnings, the firm has grown significantly and, says Jewel, is "changing the world one project at a time." Before you dismiss Nelson\Nygaard as a laid back Bay-area firm content with lying low, consider the following:
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Over the past seven years, the firm has consistently had a win rate of 50-60%.
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It has averaged 8–10% annual revenue growth in the past 10 years.
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It seeks to grow its current staff count of 80 by 50% within the next few years.
What can we learn from this interesting firm?
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NACTO Urban Street Design Guide Project
NACTO has selected San Francisco-based Nelson\Nygaard to develop the Designing Cities Urban Street Design Guide. Joining Nelson\Nygaard on this project are Community Design + Architecture, BlinkTag and a panel of street design experts from around the country. Scheduled to be released in summer 2013, the Guide will be a blueprint for 21st century streets based on the principle that streets are spaces for people and commerce as well as arteries for transportation. The Guide will aid cities as they continue to make sustainable transportation investments. The U.S. Department of Transportation is a major funder of the Urban Street Design Guide.
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Town Board Approves Parking Study
Parking conditions and feasibility of possible Huntington parking garage to be examined.
A Huntington Village Parking Consortium Group has been established to reexamine parking needs in downtown Huntington.
The Town of Huntington Economic Development Corporation, the Huntington Business Development District, the Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce and The Paramount Theater LLC have all concurred that significant more parking is required to meet growing demand, according to Town officials.
Each agency, and the Town of Huntington, will pay $7,906 of the $39,530 feasibility study costs to Nelson Nygaard Consulting Associates, which specializes in parking management and planning.
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Public Square traffic study by Nelson Nygaard a strong first step toward a greener downtown by Cleveland's Group Plan Commission
One of the great truisms of city planning is that small amounts of money spent early in a design process can have enormous positive or negative effects down the road. That’s what makes it big news — and good news — that a traffic consultant has recommended closing Ontario Street for two blocks as it runs north-south through Public Square. The $120,000 study completed by Nelson Nygaard, a San Francisco consulting firm, is a critical first step in making all of downtown Cleveland greener, livelier, more beautiful and more hospitable to development.
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The Quest to Save North Hempstead's Main Streets
New ideas have emerged in fighting the ongoing struggle of empty storefronts in North Hempstead. The ideas include ways to increase foot traffic, attract retailers, and involve the community in re-energizing Main Street. "It can't be done by just the business community, or the civics, but all of us together – otherwise it doesn't get done, said Roy Smitheimer, an economic development consultant with North Hempstead's Business & Tourism Development Corporation.
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Transit corridor will be easily reached by walkers and cyclists, planner says
The $818-million rapid transit system that will run along the urban spine of three local cities can be quickly accessed by the overwhelming majority of people in the region by walking or cycling, says a New York City transit planner.
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Borderline Neighborhood Group (BNG) & the City of Santa Monica Introduces the First Sustainable Living Street in the United States
Using urban design, traffic engineering, sustainable practices and park planning to help shape behavior within the urban environment and mitigate blight, the first Sustainable Living Street will be unveiled in the seaside Borderline Neighborhood of Santa Monica, California on Friday March 30, 2012 from 11 AM to Noon.
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Shortlist announced for Moscow Agglomeration Master Plan Strategy to increase city
by 50%
The shortlist has been announced for a major masterplanning scheme to increase the size of Moscow by 148,000 hectares - approximately 50%. Ten collaborating groups have been selected from seventy entries, including OMA, Devereux Architects, Siemens AG, Urban Design Associates, McAdam Architects and Buro Happold.
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City firm head of team aiding Moscow plan
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Ostergaard said his team will include Larry Beasley, who was director of city planning for Vancouver and led a vision plan for Abu Dhabi, and Nelson Nygaard...
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New parking rules in downtown Nashua mean more spaces, less time
Nashuatelegraph.com
January 28, 2012
Brian Regan heard customers marvel over the sudden profusion of parking spaces. "It was like winning the lottery," exuberant customers would tell Regan, a salesman at Alec's Shoes on Main Street.
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SFGate: Muir Woods National Monument upgrades
Sfgate.com
January 28, 2012
Winter has returned to Muir Woods, a famous redwood forest only 11 miles from the Golden Gate. The first rains of the new year produced new life in Redwood Creek, which flows through the woods. Even a handful of steelhead and coho salmon have returned from the Pacific Ocean to spawn at the base of trees more than a thousand years old.
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Parking is a chronic headache for many residents and businesses in major cities. But policy makers and developers are increasingly realizing that simply building more parking is not the solution. In major urban areas, parking can add 20% to the cost of a residential unit, and reduces the potential number of units on a parcel by 20%. At the same time, more parking can exacerbate problems with traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.
Cities are increasingly recognizing the harm caused by excess parking, and the trend is to abolish requirements for developers to build a minimum number of spaces – especially in downtowns and other dense, transit-rich parts of the city. San Francisco, California; Portland, Oregon; and Cambridge, Massachusetts, have even introduced caps on parking in some districts. Carsharing and unbundling are two innovations that can help make reduced parking succeed, and promote transit-focused developments with more affordable housing. Read More>>
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Nelson\Nygaard is proud to announce the publication of our first book, Sustainable Transportation Planning: Tools for Creating Vibrant, Healthy and Resilient Communities. To be published by Wiley in January 2012, the book is now available as an e-book and for pre-oreder in hardcover.
Sustainable Transportation Planning seeks to tackle the greatest social and environmental concerns of the 21st century, focusing on the role of transportation in creating more sustainable communities. The book offers a big-picture approach to transportation systems. Using clear, nontechnical language, this guide provides step-by-step instructions for implementing smart transportation concepts in cities of all sizes. Making this material accessible opens the door to greater participation in transportation planning by design and policy professionals, as well as citizen activists. The text also helps transportation professionals better understand and align their discipline within the broader movement toward sustainable urbanism.
Written and edited by a dozen Nelson\Nygaard staffers and led by Jeffrey Tumlin, Sustainable Transportation Planning features:
- Background on how transportation relates to land use planning, economic development, public health, social capital, and ecological success in cities.
- Technical guidance on all modes of transportation, and tools for balancing the needs of each mode against the others.
- Tools for managing transportation systems efficiently, including the role of parking and transportation demand management.
- Approaches for designing station areas and other locations where there is a high need to accommodate all modes, as well as the need to create a great sense of “place.”
- Case studies that look at exemplary projects across North America
Working from a comprehensive definition of sustainability—one that encompasses economic, ecological, and social vitality—Sustainable Transportation Planning provides the definitive sourcebook for understanding and implementing the full range of modern community transportation systems.
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City parking needs to stay a top priority
Seacoastonline.com
December 12, 2011
The other notable takeaway was that the Worth lot was smaller than ideal for a parking garage, which Jason Schreiber, a representative of Nelson/Nygaard, ...
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Bus service seeks public input on new name and logo
Longview Daily News
December 8, 2011
Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates of Portland recently presented a list of about 80 names to CUBS staff, which narrowed it down to three choices. ...
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City Council Tables $12 Million Parking Garage Bond
Patch.com
December 6, 2011
St. Laurent said the city's parking consultant, Jason Schreiber of Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates of Boston, made a presentation last week where he ...
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Parking Study Highlights Need For New Businesses
Patch.com
December 5, 2011
By Keith Heffintrayer
The Nelson\Nygaard consulting firm presented their ... As a part of the parking study, the Nelson\Nygaard firm conducted an online ...
