Welcome back to TheCityFix Picks, our series highlighting the newsy and noteworthy of the past week. Each Friday, we’ll run down the headlines falling under TheCityFix’s five themes: mobility, quality of life, environment, public space, and technology and innovation.

Mobility

Does transportation need a sustainability measurement system, like the LEED rating system for buildings? Read what the experts say.

A senior official from the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) in Chennai, India says that it would be “unfeasible” to provide bus route timetables. Meanwhile, the city’s bus system is stretched to its limits.

The Transportation Equity Network is organizing a series of “Save Transit!” rallies in cities across the United States, demanding that state legislators protect local transit networks.

The Abu Dhabi government is expected to spend $68 billion on public transport projects, including 40 new metro stations, between now and 2015.

Quality of Life

New York City residents save at least $19 billion each year by driving less than other Americans, according to a new report.

Traffic-related pollutants substantially increase asthma-related emergency room visits for children, especially during the warm season, according to researchers from the Department of Environmental Health at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta.

See how Park Slope and the Lower East Side – two neighborhoods in New York City – can be models of “livability” for other urban communities.

Environment

Mayor Marcelo Ebrard writes for the Huffington Post on how Mexico City reduced its carbon footprint.

The U.S. Federal Transit Administration and the transit industry released reports on how local rail and bus systems reduce U.S. transport emissions.

Poor local planning is creating “heat islands” in Delhi.

Public Space

Community volunteers in Dallas, Tex. transformed a small section of their neighborhood into a “complete street,” with a cycle track, a pop-up café, outdoor seating and traffic calming.

Urban parks and green spaces can revitalize neighborhoods, improve health and create jobs, according to notes from a U.S. House Urban Caucus briefing.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg released the  to transform New York City with better transit-oriented development and public pedestrian spaces, but the plan still has its critics.

Technology and Innovation

The New York Transit Museum creates a new educational program for 4th and 5th graders called “Go Green,” which combines an on-site tour with online lessons about carbon footprints, city streets and public transit.

Chevrolet debuts the new Volt MPV5 Concept car, which runs on an electric motor and lithium-ion battery with a gasoline engine, at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show on Earth Day.