Like many places, Portland, Ore. is seeing a lot of snow -- snow it's largely unprepared for. But despite the county's declared state of emergency, those in walkable neighborhoods are actually doing pretty well. Unusual conditions lend a special, festive air to everything, encouraging acts of play and goodwill. Post Carbon Cities will be on break through January 4. We wish you and your community resilience and joy in the New Year.

EMBARQ works with cities in the developing world to catalyze and help implement sustainable solutions to the problems of urban mobility. By working with EMBARQ, cities can reduce the cost, risk, time, and complexity of diagnosing transport problems and designing and implementing sustainable solutions. EMBARQ has also proven that sustainable transport in developing countries can translate into economic opportunities for the forward-thinking business. This year's conference has three themes: BRT, Safety, and Climate.

Fazilka, a small township in Punjab near the India-Pakistan border, has become the first ever place in the country to implement a "Car Free City" in the region, declaring the central city a car-free zone.

Under federal tax law, a commuter can shelter up to $115 a month, or $1,380 a year, in pre-tax dollars to help pay commuting expenses. But few employers provide programs that would allow their employees to take advantage of this. San Francisco recently became the nation's first to require businesses with more than 20 employees to offer transit benefit programs -- and Chicago may soon follow.

Cleveland's new bus rapid transit project, the Health Line, is already a great boon to the city and represents a model of wise infrastructure investment.

The San Antonio Express-News presents a series of posts on energy and transportation relating to a proposed light rail system -- contrasting San Antonio's development and transportation patterns with those of Portland, Ore. San Antonio formed a transportation task force in June 2008 to ensure mobility in the face of rising energy costs.

Portland bicycle planners have often employed the phrase, "Build It and They Will Come" to explain their approach to building a bicycling infrastructure from scratch in the early 1990s when there appeared to be limited demand. Some 15 years later it is easy to see their logic. The City did indeed build a vast network of bicycling facilities, and cyclists have come in droves. Two recent articles are showing that the-build-it-and-they-will-come theory may also hold true in other cities, as well.

Velo-city is the largest international conference devoted to cycling policy. Velo-City conferences have been jointly organised by the European Cyclist’s Federation (ECF) and the chosen European host city every other year since 1980. During the conference, the Region is seeking to achieve a number of main objectives, which in particular include presenting high-standard cycling infrastructures and obtaining recognition for cycling to be incorporated in a sustainable, intermodal transport policy (cycling, combined with public transport and walking can be more efficient than the car).

The atmosphere in the U.S. is right for growth in mass transit, but those who are trying to make the shift are finding that the funding is not there - due to years of neglect, underfunding, and now systemic economic problems that are threatening many new and existing plans.

A new proposed traffic concurrency management plan in Alachua County, Fla. scraps extensive roadwork and instead creates a rapid transit system that would be subsidized in part by fees on new growth. Another part of the plan encourages denser, mixed-use development.