Steven Can Plan
A panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean and the “gate” of the San Francisco Bay. Taken this past Sunday.
I had my Planet Bike SuperFlash attached to a slot near the bottom of my Deuter Trans Alpine 30 cycling backpack. I stopped riding, stepped on the pavement, and turned my body and backpack. The light was knocked out of the slot by the bike saddle and fell down… onto the bridge girder outside the sidewalk! I stood there and stared at half my light (the other half fell onto the sidewalk) thinking of my options. There weren’t any and I’m sure I picked the best one – moving on.
If I had more hair, you would see it blowing in the fast and heavy winds under and over the bridge deck.
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About Steven Can Plan
I started this blog in 2007 as the writing assignment for an introductory urban planning class at UIC. It's about cities (mainly Chicago), GIS oftentimes, and transportation (mainly bicycling). Learn more about me, Steven Vance. I also write for Streetsblog Chicago.
Steven Can Plan is hosted on Dreamhost.
Chicago Bike Map App
The Chicago Bike Map app is a bike and street map stored entirely in your iOS device – no data connection required. The map is designed to look much like the City of Chicago's official printed and online bike map. The app works on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.
- Download from the iTunes Store
- Demo the app online
- On iOS, search for "chicago bike map" in the App Store app
Highly Recommended Bike Products
Planet Bike SuperFlash taillight
The best value taillight. It has three red LEDs that alternate and provide extreme brightness. I have two of these.
Bells can be quite useful, especially to tell people in front that you're passing them. I like the ding-dong bell the best. It makes a solid DING and then DONG on the spring's return.
These folding locks are lighter weight and more versatile than an equally strong u-lock.
Books
Making Maps: A Visual Guide to Map Design for GIS by John Krygier PhD, Denis Wood PhD
If you are going to make a map, whether it be hand drawn or digital, you should really give this book a read. Then read it every time you make a map. It will help make sure your maps are laid out sensibly, in a way that others can easily read, and that it doesn't include fluff or unnecessary data.
Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us) by Tom Vanderbilt
As someone who doesn't like driving, but believes that cars can be efficient in moving groups of people and goods, this is my favorite book.
Transit Maps of the World by Mark Ovenden, Mike Ashworth
The Death and Life of Great American Cities (50th Anniversary Edition) (Modern Library) by Jane Jacobs
Instant City: Life and Death in Karachi by Steve Inskeep
I reviewed this book that the publisher sent to me.
