October 13: Philly’s stake in climate action | Lovable parking garage | North Broad restaurant wave

Michael Nutter was one of five outgoing Mayors interviewed by Governing Magazine about the lessons they learned in office. Nutter goes for the Mike Tyson quote: “Everybody’s got a plan till you get punched in the face.”

Susan Phillips and Jon Hurdle explain the findings of a new paper from Princeton-based research firm Climate Central, which says Philadelphia is among the ten US cities with the most to gain from large global cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.

Michael Klein rounds up all the restaurants coming soon to North Broad Street, and says Divine Lorraine developer Eric Blumenfeld is getting ready to announce retail and restaurant tenants. 

Joseph DiStefano wonders if Philly’s political leaders aren’t trying very hard to accelerate the city’s growth, for fear of some of the pressures that come along with it.

The Aldine Garage on the 2000 block of Sansom Street is a parking garage urbanists can love, says GroJLart. Built during the 1930’s luxury parking trend, when parking garages were still designed to respect the city fabric around them, the building blends into the block with an intricate brick facade and ground-floor retail.  

Aaron Ogle of the Office of Innovation and Technology spoke at the Code for America Summit about improving the user experience of Phila.gov.  I help organize the Urban Geek Drinks meet-up with Aaron, which you can check out at Frankford Hall this Thursday. 

How the national conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity succeeded in blocking Nashville’s Bus Rapid Transit plan from receiving federal money at the state level. This tactic may have a limited shelf life, as a bipartisan proposal gaining steam in Congress would let cities and towns directly access federal highway dollars without routing the money through state DOTs.

Seattle is getting serious about promoting walking and biking to school. All students in grades 3-5 will receive in-class biking and walking education, and speed camera revenue is helping fund better crosswalks, speed humps and sidewalks near schools. 

Larry Summers, formerly the Chief Economic Adviser to President Obama, does the math and says increasing the federal gas tax would be a wash for drivers, because freshly paved roads would mean less wear and tear on their vehicles.