Cities: November 2015 Archives

The Last American Cowboys -- On Demand -- Medium

Four-part series of articles by a San Francisco taxi driver, chronicling his journey from being a cabbie to becoming a driver for ridesharing service Lyft. Fascinating details about the practicalities of driving a cab, and why ridesharing is a better deal for drivers and riders alike.

A map of San Francisco's subway system that almost was

As originally conceived in 1956, the system would have served all the counties bordering the bay, reaching from Los Gatos to Santa Rosa and all the way to Fairfield, Brentwood, and Livermore in the outer eastern reaches of the metro area, serving nine counties instead of the three that BART actually serves. Lines would have crossed the bays along each of the bridges. Having dealt with traffic along many of these routes, I can appreciate the convenience of taking a train instead.

The 1956 plan was unearthed was uncovered by Jake Coolidge for his master's thesis at San Jose State University. Here's his presentation putting the original BART plan in its national and local historical context. Although the images are small and hard to read, I'm struck by the similarities in graphic design with the Tulsa comprehensive planning documents from the same period.