If we let it. Elly Blue has a series on Grist about bikes and the economy. (If this infographic isn't coming in clear, check it out here.  In her latest column, she writes, "the bicycle economy, unlike its fancier cousin transit-oriented development, is not about new development or raising property values. It's about bettering our existing communities. It's about making cities and suburbs that are built on an automotive scale navigable, instead, by human power. It's about providing the basics to everyone, in their neighborhood, now -- and along with that the choice to opt for that $3,000 to $12,000 yearly rebate." Makes sense, right?

She continues, 'there aren't very many economic scenarios in this country where everyone wins. But if you had to choose one single thing that could pull our neighborhoods, towns, and cities out of this murky pit of a recession, you'd do well to bet on the humble bicycle." Her next piece is on a realistic, conservative funding proposal for bicycle economic development. I can't wait.

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