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May 21, 2013
Resilient Cities Roundup: Talking Global Green Building Trends
Urban resilience/shutterstock
Maggie Comstock, a global policy wonk on green buildings and cities, spoke with SCC about global sustainable development trends and the emergence of resiliency planning for cities around the world.[read more]
May 21, 2013
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]
May 21, 2013
Revitalizing City Neighborhoods: Urban Renewal and Arts Grants
revitalizing communities
The 21st century promises to be much kinder to cities and older neighborhoods than the second half of the 20th and, as neighborhoods recover, one of the more engaging trends is the role of community-based arts in revitalization.[read more]
Recent Infographics
Urbanism Speakeasy | Urban Farming and Local Groceries
Josh O'Conner is a Senior Editor for the Urban Times an online magazine. He's a planner by trade and an advocate for community-oriented urbanism. When he's off the clock, Josh STILL likes urban planning. But he also fills his time with small-scale...[read more]
Restoring Infrastructure With Interaction
restoring infrastructure
Taking a site near to the Gowanus Canal, one of the most polluted water bodies in the country, a group of architects explored a new potential relationship between people and their infrastructure.[read more]
Urban Design and Biking Campaigns
between a bus and a hard place
It is time for our cycling campaigns to go back to the drawing board together and start again with our cycling design guidelines, before every other road in our city is narrowed.[read more]
To Modernize, or Not to Modernize, That is the Urban Design Question
When it comes to city planning, there’s no tougher decision to make than the modernization or preservation of historic culture. Continuity and consistency is lacking in Nottingham’s city planning.[read more]
Cities Embracing the Green Revolution [INFOGRAPHIC]
urban green revolution
With global carbon dioxide levels at a historic high, something major needs to happen if we are to get anything close to a sustainable use of the planet’s resources. Could a ‘green revolution’ in cities be the solution?[read more]
Placemaking and Getting Children Out to Play
get the children outside!
If children are the future, we seem to be very short-sighted when it comes to urban design. Very little, if any at all, of the current discourse on the type of cities we should be building truly considers whether these cities will be child friendly.[read more]
Economic Geography and Gentrification in Buffalo
Buffalo, NY
“Buffalo gentrification” is an oxymoron. It’s also real, close to the centers of talent production. We should pay more attention to this emerging economic geography hidden in the stereotypical Rust Belt.[read more]
Thinking Green Beyond the Inside of Your House
going green outside the home
When people think about green buildings, what comes to mind is solar panels, geothermal energy, improved insulation, and so forth. Although we often forget it, being green also includes what lies beyond the walls![read more]
Beyond PR: Services and Disservices of Urban Green Infrastructure
urban green infrastructure
How do the benefits of urban green infrastructure stack up against the costs? We need to better understand the services and disservices of green infrastructure for improved planning and management of urban ecosystems.[read more]
Creative Gravitation and Placemaking in Berlin
cultural creativity in Berlin
Artists and bohemians have been flocking to Berlin since the wall came down in 1989. Affordable rents and vacant spaces allowed room for experimentation, as diversity in numbers created a dynamic infrastructure.[read more]
Future of Public Transit: Otobuxi? Self-Driving Automobile + Bus + Taxi
the future of public transit?
With all-wheel drive and electric power, the Otobuxi can travel with quiet ease on narrow, residential streets. The vehicle can accommodate up to 12 passengers and does not require a driver.[read more]
Nationalist Sustainability: Recycle to Punch Hitler in the Nose!
recycling to defeat Hitler?
Robert Long at The New Republic points to a few studies showing that conservatives are more likely to recycle when such activity is tied to values like patriotism.[read more]
Los Angeles Placemaking: Angels in the Parks [VIDEO]
angels in LA
Not all angels have wings. Some are clearly grounded and quietly working in Los Angeles city parks thanks to the partnership between the Recreation and Parks Department and the Los Angeles Parks Foundation.[read more]
Interview with Hernan Navarro: Lima’s El Metropolitano BRT
Lima's Bus Rapid Transit
In a capital city with 8 million inhabitants, not only was Lima’s advanced bus system the first of its kind in the country, but it also provides valuable lessons for the rest of Latin America.[read more]
How Skate Parks Can Transform Urban Areas
skate parks
Nowadays, skateparks seem to be the new form of the traditional town squares we all remember visiting during our childhood and adolescence years.[read more]
The Economic and Educational Value of Retrofitting Schools
retrofitting old schools
With the potential to reduce carbon consumption by more than 50%, and make £120,000 a year, retrofitting its school is an investment that Impington Village College, near Cambridge in England, can’t afford not to make.[read more]
Sustainable Cities Collective
What's New on
“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 ...”
“I thinks it's provocative. In Florida, we were given tours of muncipal water treatment facilities as children, less so access to energy facilities. There is a cogeneration facility at MIT that sits comfortably in the urban context, as thousands pass by daily. But I'm always concerned that critical systems and humans should not mix for the most part. Educational programs may make the same point ...”