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May 24, 2013
Mistaken Urban Infrastructure: Mostly Empty Syndrome
A large number of projects seems to fall in the category of what I will dub "Mostly Empty Syndrome". MES projects are infrastructure that are underutilized. Mostly they are not underutilized by design, but by mis-forecast.[read more]
May 24, 2013
Migration Economies and Lessons from Portland
Portland
For Portland, regional planning and urban amenities comprise the economic development strategy. Build it and they (talent) will come. That’s quite different from the usual approach, which is job creation and the attraction of employment.[read more]
May 24, 2013
Sustainable Cities and Revising Suburbia
suburbia
Times are changing, and there’s evidence that design firms and planners are changing with them. Here are great examples of a refreshing mentality: plans for suburban design that account for sustainability from the very beginning.[read more]
Recent Infographics
Must-See New Urbanism Projects in Salt Lake City
new urbanism in Salt Lake City
Christie Oostema, Planning Director at Envision Utah said in a recent podcast that she hopes to see Salt Lake City become an incubator for new urbanism projects.[read more]
All Aboard: Engaging the Public on Transportation Projects
citizen participation
Too often those who utilize public transport on a daily basis are not brought into the decision-making process or consulted on its operation. This lack of participation may damage public use and endorsement of mass transport.[read more]
Catching Growth: Melbourne’s Public Transit and Its Outer Suburbs
Melbourne's Public Transit
Melbourne is a city that is experiencing the greatest increase in population in Australia, as well as some of the highest levels of traffic congestion.[read more]
Crowdsourcing Infrastructure to Rebuild Cities in Conflict
rebuilding conflict cities
What if I create a channel for anyone in the world to invest in real estate in Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, Iraq or South Sudan? Most investors would not be deterred by possibly losing 100 USD when the potential return could be 1000%.[read more]
Breaking Social Barriers One Cup of Coffee at a Time
coffee and social change
Cafe de las Sonrisas in Granada, Nicaragua was established to break down the barriers that deaf and mute people typically face in integrating into the labour market.[read more]
Placemaking: People and the Urban Fabric [VIDEO]
people and cities
Initiatives like these are fine examples of how friendly interactions in urban spaces, however simple they may be, can be very beneficial in making the experience of living in a city more inviting and welcoming.[read more]
After Market Fire: Opportunity for Participatory Planning
post-Kantamanto Market fire
Now would be a perfect opportunity to develop a design solution that formally integrates market vendors’ and their activities into the overall economy; to work with those trading at markets like Kantamanto, rather than working against them.[read more]
How to Buy an Energy Efficient Water Heater [Infographic]
energy-efficient appliances
There are a lot of different types of water heaters on the market, though, so how do you know which one will work most efficiently for your living environment?[read more]
Eight Guidelines for Urban Design: Keeping Creativity at the Heart of Cities
creativity in cities
Planners and creatives need the willingness to learn from policy mismatch. For cultural production this would mean sustaining the local urban identity and providing possibilities for creativity to remain at the heart of the city.[read more]
Sustainable Cities: How Clean is Our Urban Air?
urban air quality
Air pollution needs to be dealt with in a more holistic manner, wherein major contributors, like industries, power plants, and vehicles are addressed together. No one policy is sufficient to deal with this multi-faceted problem.[read more]
Oakland's New Transit-Oriented Development Redefines Space
transit-oriented development
Oakland continues to bring new development and innovation to its neighborhoods. Next up is an impressive urban planning initiative to be built in Temescal beside the MacArthur BART station.[read more]
Stuck in Canada: Talent Migration or Lack Thereof
Toronto/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Canadian geographic immobility should serve as a cautionary tale for places trying to attract people. Catalyzing migration is hard to do. The reasons behind declining mobility in the United States remain a mystery.[read more]
Lessons from the Africa Urban Infrastructure Summit
summit attendees
Imagine a future for urban Africa in which free thinking reigns supreme, roof tops are adorned with urban parks, and the streets are littered with electric powered scooters.[read more]
Crafting Truly Responsive Cities to Climate Change
green roof in Kabul
Upon identifying the specifics of climate change, we can create relevant methods within our communities to internalize these specifics and to develop strategic, pro-active responses to contend with the harsh reality of climate change.[read more]
Sustainable Cities Collective
What's New on
“Did you hear about the event of a thread? Artist Anne Hamilton installed this during winter of 2013. I went with friends and it was a truly surreal experience. Less urbane than EMBARQ's examples, its was a true dance between space and humans. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qPEcO0bTa0”
“I agree I think that the nature of human interaction and involvement depends on the nature of the actual facility itself. Getting people in and around fossil fuel burning power plants is seen as a security risk, but that still leaves many components of our infrastructure that could benefit from being noticed (and that citizens could benefit from noticing). I think of examples like John ...”