charlottesville

Image courtesy of author's blog

I never lived in a college town, even in college. For all the perks of big cities, one of the downsides is that they mask the richness of university life that exists there. University lectures and special events and sports can take second fiddle to the countless options available in the wider city. Life in a college town, manageable in...[read more]

When Amtrak introduced new rail service between Washington DC and Lynchburg last fall, they hoped to meet an annual ridership projection of 51,000. Virginia DRPT was ready to start investing in intercity passenger rail, and this was the initial pilot project. Supporters were hopeful, but the less than ideal schedule for the daily train...[read more]

Almost every community has its own stories from the urban renewal of the 1960's and 1970's, when a combination of federal policies and local action lead to clearing whole neighborhoods of urban fabric in order make room for the modern, motorized city. Charlottesville has Vinegar Hill, which still conjures up deep memories of racial...[read more]

Probably the most important bottleneck in Charlottesville for cyclists is the intersection between McIntire Rd. and West Main St. This point is the gateway to downtown from the west and a critical transportation link between the University of Virginia and the downtown mall. 45% of cycling accidents happen at intersections, and high-...[read more]

Forested Canopy in Shenandoah National ParkIn the 2007 Comprehensive Plan, the City of Charlottesville set for itself the ambitious goal of creating a 40% tree canopy. At least it seemed ambitious at the time. After performing an analysis of aerial photos this year, city officials realized that 46% of the area is actually already...[read more]

I'd like to indulge in one hyper-local post - it's about my neighborhood of Fifeville - but I think it does touch on some broader urban design themes. In fact, I'd love it if someone out there with more knowledge of good streetscape design weighed in to let me know if I'm on the right track or not. Beyond a quick skim of Allan Jacob's...[read more]

Photo credit: Robert LlewellynI stopped by the Urban places, Rural Spaces exhibit at the Charlottesville Community Design Center on the Downtown Mall. Very nice.The exhibit demonstrates how creating vibrant urban areas and protecting beautiful and productive rural areas are hardly mutually exclusive goals. This is a great message that,...[read more]

I thought this U.S. Census data of all of the counties in the Thomas Jefferson Planning District tell and interesting story of the last century. I've matched the growth trends up with certain events that may help put the population characteristics into historical context.I'll let the pictures speak for themselves, other than noting the...[read more]