Welcome back to our weekly behind-the-scenes glimpse at what’s getting our team talking. Let us know what you think at [email protected].
Sunday strolls
Streets without cars: Many of us got a taste of this tranquil experience through open streets initiatives during the Covid-19 pandemic. But in Bogotá, as The Guardian reports in a story that caught Contributing Editor Peter Yeung’s attention, that’s the case every Sunday — and has been for decades. During the city’s weekly Ciclovía, many major streets are open only to pedestrians, cyclists and skaters.
Peter says:
These car-free Sundays are common across Latin America, from Bogotá to Lima.
Animal crossing
Humans aren’t the only ones who appreciate car-free streets — for other animals, crossing the street is often a matter of life or death. This week, the Washington Post reported on the building of the world’s largest wildlife bridge in California. The aim: to provide safe passage for animals over a 10-lane freeway and better connect their fragmented habitat.
The project has been years in the making, and Contributing Editor Michaela Haas reported on plans for the overpass for RTBC in 2022. As Michaela noted, mountain lions, or cougars, live in the Santa Monica Mountains, making Los Angeles the only major city in the Western hemisphere that is home to lions. “L.A.’s will be a groundbreaking test case,” she wrote. “A wildlife crossing designed to help big cats thrive in an urban environment.”
What else we’re reading
👰 Wedding without waste: how I got married without the usual 400lb of trash — shared by Michaela Haas from The Guardian
🌱 What actually happens within your lawn when you don’t mow it — shared by Peter Yeung from the Washington Post
🛣️ Colorado’s Bold New Approach to Highways — Not Building Them — shared by Michaela Haas from the New York Times
In other news…
This weekend, RTBC Editorial Director Rebecca Worby is heading to the Connect Beyond Festival in Asheville, North Carolina, where she’ll be in conversation with journalists Jules Holtz and Ezekiel Walker about solutions journalism and the changing media landscape. Will you be in the area? Tickets are still available.
