infrastructure posts, articles, and infographics

Can 'Co-Production' Bring Infrastructure to Informal Settlements?

March 12, 2012 by polis blog
with 245 views

Panorama of Kosovo settlement, Nairobi. Source: Ruco Van Der MerweIn the informal settlements of Nairobi, basic infrastructure provision remains a major issue. Generally speaking, neither the government nor private firms want or have the capacity to provide universal basic infrastructure, such as laying water pipes or paving roads. One... [read more]

Americans Recognize Need for Transportation Infrastructure Repair

February 21, 2012 by Glenn Meyers
with 79 views

The American Crisis in Transportation Coalition has pointed to a poll published in The Hill which showed that 53 percent of the respondents said it is “very important” to repair the nation’s roads, and 35 percent said it is “somewhat important.” [read more]

Fix It First Transportation Policy

February 6, 2012 by David Levinson
with 51 views

Ken Orski writes: Why Pleas to Increase Infrastructure Funding Fall on Deaf Ears Letting the nation’s roads and bridges deteriorate may worsen traffic congestion and add to our commuting woes, but when water and sewer systems begin to fail our very civilization is at risk. That is the message of a recent story in The Washington Post... [read more]

How a rain garden cleans industrial pollution

January 25, 2012 by Kaid Benfield
with 249 views

(Note: Today’s post was conceived and largely authored by my friend and frequent collaborator, Lee Epstein. Lee is an attorney, land use planner, and sustainability advocate working in the mid-Atlantic region.) As NRDC’s water program rightfully emphasizes, one of the most vexing conundrums in highly urban areas is how to... [read more]

Defying Criticism, U.K. Government Finalizes Plans for High-Speed Rail

January 18, 2012 by Next American City
with 56 views

Whatever the recession’s effects on government budgets, infrastructure development in Europe continues to advance at a steady pace. The United Kingdom government affirmed last week that it would move forward with the construction of a £18.8 billion ($29 billion) high-speed link between London and Birmingham, due for opening in 2026. This in spite of draconian cuts across all sorts of public services, both in Britain and across the continent. [read more]

E.P.A. Offers $1.8 Million in Urban Green Infrastructure Grants

December 22, 2011 by The Dirt ASLA
with 206 views

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) is offering up to $1.8 million in new grants for urban green infrastructure projects that both improve water quality and support community revitalization. Projects that support the restoration of canals, rivers, lakes, wetlands, aquifers, estuaries, bays and... [read more]

A Growing City in Malawi and its Pay-to-Cross Footbridges

December 14, 2011 by This Big City
with 88 views

As the world’s population reaches 7 billion, one sign that Lilongwe, Malawi’s capital, is growing rapidly are the numbers of people that flock to the city’s markets. Two such markets are on opposite sides of the Lilongwe River in this city of just over 1 million. One market sells vegetables and farm produce, the other clothing. [read more]

Green Infrastructure Means Jobs

October 27, 2011 by The Dirt ASLA
with 401 views

At a packed briefing on Capitol Hill, an official from a regional wastewater management authority, a New York based landscape designer, and the head of a niche-yet-growing green infrastructure engineering firm made the case that green infrastructure means more jobs for skilled designers and engineers... [read more]

ASLA Releases More than 475 Green Infrastructure Case Studies

September 27, 2011 by The Dirt ASLA
with 416 views

The Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) recently started a national rulemaking process, with the goal of creating a new, comprehensive program to reduce stormwater runoff. The E.P.A. announced that during this rulemaking it will evaluate green infrastructure design techniques that mimic natural processes to evapo-transpire, infiltrate and recharge, and harvest and re-use stormwater. Typical green infrastructure systems for managing stormwater include green roofs and walls, bioswales, rain gardens, bio-retention ponds, and permeable pavements. Street and park trees also provide great stormwater management benefits. [read more]

My 2 Cents in Wall Street Journal's 'How to Build a Greener City'

September 16, 2011 by Warren Karlenzig
with 237 views

Image source: Author's blog

I was quoted in the lead article by Michael Totty in Monday's Wall Street Journal on "How to Build A Greener City." The article (and quote) leads off a special section, including the following articles:An Apple Tree Grows in SuburbiaThe Urban Quest for Zero WasteTesting Their Metals (on reducing industry material use)Building Owners Want... [read more]

Maryland Gives Smart Growth Another Push

September 7, 2011 by Kaid Benfield
with 108 views

I’m of the opinion that the package of (bold, at the time) smart growth policies introduced in Maryland in the 1990s by then-governor Parris Glendening has done a great deal of good, particularly in encouraging revitalization of city and town centers and conservation of rural lands. No, the smart growth laws have certainly... [read more]

How Do We Create Urban Spaces for Millions of People?

August 29, 2011 by This Big City
with 274 views

The secret is out – everywhere you look cities are mushrooming, and people go flocking. A flock of people migrating to cities quickly creates more than just crowds, it creates Overcrowds. These Overcrowds breath, eat, sleep, work, play and most of all move. People move from home to work to gym to school to a restaurant to home, and tomorrow it starts all over again (granted these patterns can be vastly different). [read more]