Badass Biking Mustachian Mayor in Bogota

[El Gringo]

Here's a badass biking mustachian mayor in Bogota: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/nov/01/secrets-worlds-happiest-cities-commute-property-prices

[Cinder]

I just watched this video and was about to post it here, we need more people thinking like this!

I love the thinking, you can't fix 'traffic' by adding more roads... you have to elevate the (buses/bike riders/pedestrians).  I loved how the cyclists and peds were first class citizens on improved infrastructure, and the cars were driving on unpaved muddy roads!

[Nicster]

There are pockets of good things happening everywhere.

http://www.ted.com/talks/janette_sadik_khan_new_york_s_streets_not_so_mean_any_more.html

Here is a Ted talk about some exciting changes in New York City. I went to college there in the late 80's and 90's.

[mpbaker22]

Alderman in St. Louis, sadly not in my ward.  Similar story. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGrAe9jHhx4

[destron]

Great article with a positive tone. I hope that someone in a suburb somewhere will read this and realize they may be happier living closer to work, biking, and spending more time in public than in their walled garden.

[warpgirl]

Was just about to post the same Guardian article! My favorite part of the story:

A couple of University of Zurich economists, Bruno Frey and Alois Stutzer, compared German commuters' estimation of the time it took them to get to work with their answers to the standard wellbeing question, "How satisfied are you with your life, all things considered?"

Their finding was seemingly straightforward: the longer the drive, the less happy people were. Before you dismiss this as numbingly obvious, keep in mind that they were testing not for drive satisfaction, but for life satisfaction. People were choosing commutes that made their entire lives worse. Stutzer and Frey found that a person with a one-hour commute has to earn 40% more money to be as satisfied with life as someone who walks to the office. On the other hand, for a single person, exchanging a long commute for a short walk to work has the same effect on happiness as finding a new love.

If that doesn't make you want to live close to work, nothing will. :-)