Urban Planning posts, articles, and infographics

Taming the sound of the city: dealing with noise pollution

May 16, 2012 by Kaid Benfield
with 46 views

About two decades ago, my friend Bob – a mover and shaker of sorts in the art world – took me to an artist’s studio in a (then, at least) scruffy area of lower Manhattan. The artist we were meeting, whose name I have long since forgotten, worked in the medium of environmental sound. His studio was full of wires,... [read more]

How to Integrate Urbanism + Transit

May 16, 2012 by Erin Chantry
with 62 views

Jarrett Walker, author of Human Transit: How Clearer Thinking About Public Transit Can Enrich Our Communities and Our Lives, told us he was at CNU20 to preach a little fire and brimstone: transportation planner to new urbanist. While I wouldn’t call it brimstone, he definitely spoke passionately about real issues that need to be... [read more]

How transportation can contribute to community building

May 16, 2012 by Jessica Soulliere
with 15 views

Project for Public Spaces

Project for Public Spaces Director of Transportation Initiatives Gary Toth recently spoke at the Complete Streets Forumin Toronto, Ontario, about the role of transportation alternatives and complete streets in communities and community building.In his speech, posted below, Toth explains that complete streets are to be welcoming... [read more]

It’s a Good Week to be a Bicyclist

May 16, 2012 by Project for Public Spaces
with 82 views

dny3d/Shutterstock

If you’re one of the millions of Americans who prefers to travel around on two wheels, this is a very good week to be you! No matter your reason for riding, there’s something interesting happening in the next few days. Biking is a great way to experience great places: it gets us out in the open air, moving at a speed that allows us to... [read more]

Design Can’t Save Us, but We Can Save Through Design. A #CNU20 Reflection

May 15, 2012 by Kristen Jeffers
with 60 views

It’s been roughly 48 hours since the last session at CNU 20 and I’ve been home about 24 of those hours with a sore throat and bruised heels from all the great debates, ideas, dances, food and fellowship that I encountered at the Congress.There were so many diverse viewpoints this year that it has taken me to this point to be able to sit... [read more]

Clear indications that climate change is affecting fish stocks

May 14, 2012 by Ceri Margerison
with 50 views

Rich Carey/Shutterstock

The Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership (MCCIP) launched its latest Report Card on 8th May at the World Fisheries Congress in Edinburgh. It focuses on how climate change is affecting the fish and shellfish we find in our seas, providing both opportunities and threats, and what the social and economic consequences could be.Key... [read more]

Megacities: Five of the World’s ‘Biggest’ Cities

May 14, 2012 by This Big City
with 313 views

As the world urbanises and our lifestyles evolve, cities are getting bigger. And I’m not just talking about population sizes. As This Big City kicks off a fortnight of themed posts on Megacities and Microcities, what better way to start than by taking a look at five of the world’s ‘biggest’ cities?Tokyo – the world’s largest metropolitan... [read more]

Why Did We Stop Walking and How Do We Start Again?

May 14, 2012 by Erin Chantry
with 565 views

As you may know, the CNU20 conference was organized around tracks which allowed you to focus on your particular interest and how it related to New Urbanism. I spent most of my time on the “Mobility and Walkable City” since that is where my concentration lies. There is no doubt that the best breakout session of this track was “Why Did We... [read more]

Space, The First But Not Final Frontier: Analyzing Space, Uses, and Transportation.

May 13, 2012 by Erin Chantry
with 72 views

When I chose this breakout session, I didn’t really fully understand the title, but I was confident that with “space” and “transportation,” it had to be up my alley. It turned out to be a presentation of four of the latest and greatest research papers conducted in the New Urbanism field. As they were discussed, it was a little... [read more]

Looking Forward: New Urbanism and the New World.

May 13, 2012 by Erin Chantry
with 198 views

Photos courtesy of Seaside Institute

This morning when I walked into the West Palm Beach convention center, I was very excited to be able to meet and brainstorm with the thinkers at the forefront of my profession, or at least the people who share in the same urban design theology. I had heard rumblings about the culture of the Congress of New Urbanism and certainly... [read more]

Organic Farming: Beyond the Yield Debate

May 12, 2012 by Marc Gunther
with 115 views

Image courtesy of the author

Yields from organic farming may not match those produced by farmers who use synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, but there are other good reasons to buy and support organic–its health benefits, the good that it does for farm workers, even its animal-welfare rules.So, at least, say executives of the Organic Trade Association, a... [read more]

Shipping container "cities" bring creative, funky approach to green construction

May 11, 2012 by Kaid Benfield
with 595 views

This started out as an article on prefabricated modular housing, which can bring the construction price of new homes down considerably and lends itself well to use of green materials and straightforward replication. There’s a multi-part series on green prefab construction, including the history and evolution of the industry... [read more]