conservation posts, articles, and infographics | Sustainable Cities Collective

Community Growth: Crisis and Challenge

January 6, 2012 by Jason King
with 137 views

Via Atlantic Cities, an interesting film from 1959 exploring the implications for sprawl... from the National Association of Home Builders and the Urban Land Institute. I particularly like the diagrams of the monocentric city towards polycentric city form in post WWII United States. The solutions include planned unit... [read more]

The Importance of Legacy to Sustainability

December 23, 2011 by Kaid Benfield
with 115 views

When we think of “sustainability,” we usually are considering the viability of a place or action into the future – as my friend Steve Mouzon puts it, “can we keep it going in a healthy way into an uncertain future?” But I increasingly think that, when we consider that nourishing the human spirit is just as important... [read more]

Does The Sustainable Communities Agenda Have Something to Offer Rural America?

December 8, 2011 by Kaid Benfield
with 134 views

Much of the thinking among those of us concerned with how to accommodate a growing US population in a sustainable way focuses on our metropolitan regions – our bigger cities and suburbs. Indeed, that is such a significant part of my own work and writing that my editors at The Atlantic Cities have started characterizing... [read more]

Why Smart Growth is Important to Land Conservation

December 7, 2011 by Kaid Benfield
with 183 views

Years ago, I was motivated to participate in what became the cause of smart growth, and now for many of us has evolved into the cause of sustainable communities, because of the devastating effect of suburban sprawl on the American landscape. For decades, the amount of developed land in our country has grown much faster than population, in some regions of the country several times faster. In the 25-year period from 1982 to 2007, we lost some 23 million acres of agricultural land - an area the size of Indiana - irretrievably to pavement, malls, and subdivisions, according to the American Farmland Trust. [read more]

The 'Not So Big' Neighborhood

August 5, 2011 by Kaid Benfield
with 262 views

The Chicago suburb of Libertyville (population 22,000) is about to get a compact, highly walkable bit of infill development, just a block off the town’s main commercial street and only five blocks or so from a commuter rail station. The three-acre project of 41 homes (26 single-family, 15 loft units) is also going to get a... [read more]

Smart Growth's Conservation Imperative

July 22, 2011 by Kaid Benfield
with 139 views

It's certainly well-known among my colleagues that I am passionate about cities. I'm proud to think of myself as an urbanist who believes we can no longer accept sprawl as the dominant form of land use in America. Instead, we must direct growth and development in ways that strengthen our existing cities and... [read more]

10 painless things you can do NOW for the environment

May 30, 2010 by Robert Stockham
with 1,229 views

With so much going on this week and over the holiday weekend, it has been difficult to post. I have started to write a blog post on BP and the oil spill several times, but it always ends up with me shouting like a crazy person at an environmental nightmare. Moreover, I have to find time to finish our urban garden before it... [read more]

Interested in how to think about city parks? Get this book

May 7, 2010 by Kaid Benfield
with 405 views

Peter Harnik knows more about city parks than anyone else I know. And he has now put much of what he knows into a handy new book, Urban Green: Innovative Parks for Resurgent Cities (Island Press, 2010). I was using it as a reference literally within minutes of receiving my copy and, if you are interested in the topic... [read more]

A Green Light for Migrating Birds

September 11, 2009 by The Dirt ASLA
with 126 views

Migrating birds are drawn off course by red or white lights found on ocean oil or natural gas installations, writes Conservation magazine. Some birds will collide with the installations, while others will circle for hours until exhaustion brings them down. “Hundreds of disoriented birds congregate on the installations’ decks, and some... [read more]

Those Ain't Your Mamma's Rainforests Anymore...

April 1, 2009 by Beth Buczynski
with 110 views

They're yours! (And more importantly, your childrens' children's). Traditional conservation tactics and passive efforts have not done nearly enough to save this precious habitat and the unique species that call it home. So- it's time to think outside the box.Developed by the Eco Preservation Society and implemented in conjunction with... [read more]