February 2016 - Stop and Move

An overhead look at downtown Fresno before high speed rail changes everything

On February 24, 2016November 18, 2019 By jamesinclair

About a month ago, I went out and took hundreds of pictures around downtown Fresno. The intention was to post them quickly, but that obviously didn’t happen. My post about the changes at Fresno State took a few days to put together, and then I was away from the internet for a week due to a planned surgery.

This set of pictures was originally intended to show the current state of High Speed Rail (HSR) construction in Fresno. However, a lot has happened in a month, so they’re no longer current in regards to construction activity on the project itself. Instead, they will serve as a benchmark of what downtown Fresno looked like right before serious construction started in earnest, and before private investors started taking note of the prime empty lots. Click to read more!

Categories : Clovis Parks RetailTags : Clovis design festival humatat old town parklet pollasky3 Comments

Clovis to host parklet festival this May

On February 10, 2016November 18, 2019 By jamesinclair

Well, this is unexpected.

This May, the City of Clovis will host an “Urban Design Festival” which appears to be a competition to design and build a parklet. If you have never seen a parklet, it is where a mini-park is created using what were previously 1-2 parking spaces. Usually, these parklets offer some seating and greenery, as a way to expand the sidewalk and interface with nearby business. You know, the opposite of what Fresno is doing by removing park space to accommodate cars.

Parklets have popped up throughout the country, including in Los Angeles and San Francisco. As far as I know, there haven’t been any installed in the Central Valley. Click to read more!

Categories : Fresno TransitTags : alta alternative transportation bicycle Clovis congestion csu fresno FAX fresno state maintenance master plan pedestrian roundabout safety scramble shuttle traffic vline yarts2 Comments

Fresno State Finally Gets Serious About Non-Car Transportation!

On February 4, 2016November 18, 2019 By jamesinclair

Fresno State, officially California State University, Fresno, has for decades been a driving university. The campus arrived at its current location in 1956, and at the time it was located far from the city. That was intentional – with agriculture as a core mission, the University purposely surrounded itself with farms. Even today, the 388-acre main campus is attached to the 1,011-acre University Farm. As such, one was expected to drive to campus. Especially because students came from all over the Central Valley.

Fresno State in the 1950’s

However, much has changed since 1956. Fresno grew, and now the campus is completely surrounded by urban (or suburban) activity. The University has also grown tremendously, and now hosts a population of over 25,000 (students and staff). While commuter students still represent a large portion of the population, 8,000 students and 2,400 staff live within 5 miles of campus – an easy bicycle commute over perfectly flat land. Click to read more!