Book Review: Paved Paradise – How Parking Explains the World
A page turner on parking policy and its more-interesting-than-you-might-think history.
book reviews
Book Review: A roadmap to Silicon Valley’s money-hungry mobility motives
I think I’ll be keeping this book next to my computer for handy reference.
Book review: Lynn Peterson’s lessons on community engagement
Peterson goes deep into her diverse experience, but her clean narrative makes for a less interesting book.
Book Review: Confessions of a Recovering Engineer
Confessions of a Recovering Engineer (Wiley, 2021) is an unusual book by a man who I imagine is charismatic in person, Charles Marohn. BikePortland readers who are not already familiar with Marohn will have probably come across the word he coined over a decade ago, “stroad.” Marohn is the founder of Strong Towns, a movement … Read more
Book Review: Last Best Hope, America in Crisis and Renewal
Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2021-06-15) is an essay on the meaning of the year 2020. If the gift of the virus was to interrupt us, author George Packer uses the interruption to take a close look at America, a “long middle-aged stare in the mirror.” Packer’s examination … Read more
Book Review: ‘Calling Bullshit’ will help you be a better advocate
Calling Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in a Data-Driven World (Penguin Random House, 2020) is a much-needed guide for folks awash in numbers who are just trying to make informed decisions. Anyone working or advocating in transportation should read it. The preface begins with a definition of bullshit and a discussion of its different types. … Read more
Book Review: Policing the Open Road
The idea that cars = freedom is a pervasive American myth. The truth is that the rise of the automobile — and rampant illegal behaviors that have always accompanied it — helped give rise to an armed street security force that too often acts as judge, jury, and executioner. Sarah Seo’s book, Policing the Open … Read more
Book review: ‘Streetfight’ by Janette Sadik-Khan
Sadik-Khan has given street fighters the weapons to transform our streets: data and success stories.
Book Review: Our Bodies, Our Bikes
Jessie Kwak reviews a collection of articles edited by Elly Blue and April Streeter.
Book review: Pedal Portland by Todd Roll
With over two dozen fun routes and loads of tips, trivia and historical insights, Todd Roll’s new book is a keeper.
Book Review: Cycling Sojourner: A Guide to the Best Multi-Day Rides in Washington
Portland author Ellee Thalheimer’s new guide book will have you crossing the border into Washington for a summer of great rides.
Book Review: Cyclopedia – It’s All About the Bike
When a book says it’s “all about the bike” and proudly displays images of disassembled bike components on its cover I assume it will eventually be sitting on a shelf in my garage, close to a pedal wrench and a bottle of chain lube. William Fotheringham’s Cyclopedia from Chicago Review Press is far from the … Read more
Comment of the Week: Upbeat thoughts before the election