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smart growth
New housing forecast mostly good for walkable communities
The housing price recovery has begun, says a new report from The Demand Institute, a think tank recently launched by Nielson and The Conference Board to track consumer demand. Among the findings that are promising for more sustainable development patterns, the strongest segment of the market “comprises populous urban or semi... [read more]
CNU Friday Night Live Plenary with Richard Florida
Again, we're streaming today's plenary featuring Richard Florida live from Palm Beach starting at 5:30 until 6:30 pm EST. Don't miss it!Richard Florida, author of the best-selling Rise of the Creative Class and The Great Reset, speaks at CNU 20 on May 11. Florida is the founder of the Creative Class Group, currently heads the Martin... [read more]
Transforming Suburbia into Eco-Utopia (part 2)
This is the second of a 5-part series on the city of San Jose’s sustainable transportation goals, based on Sociecity’s April 12, 2012 interview with Hans Larsen, the city’s Director of Transportation.“We’re trying to create downtown San Jose as the ‘urban center’ of Silicon Valley” says Hans Larsen, Director of Transportation for the... [read more]
Informal Housing Around Industrial Redevelopment in Barcelona
Source: Barcelona City Council Like most post-industrial cities around the world, Barcelona has spent well over a decade planning how to reshape its industrial heartland. In Barcelona, this is 200-hectare Poblenou, known as the Catalan Manchester at the end of the 19th century.Source: Barcelona City Council Toward this end, in 2000 the... [read more]
The Built Environment Is Broken
Dr. Richard Jackson, Professor and Chair of Environment Health Sciences, UCLA, said the built environment in the U.S. was designed in a way that is “fundamentally unhealthy” in a talk at the New America Foundation, a think tank in Washington, D.C. The environment is now making it difficult for people to achieve well-being. It’s getting... [read more]
El Paso commits to a smarter, greener future
Earlier this week, the city council of El Paso, the nation’s 19th-largest city, unanimously adopted a detailed comprehensive plan built around the principles of smart growth and green development. With significant economic importance and a rich cultural history, but plagued with sprawling recent development patterns coupled... [read more]
A spiffy green waterfront begins to take shape in DC
Washington, DC is finally getting a green waterfront development to be proud of. A 42-acre redevelopment along the Anacostia River, The Yards will comprise some 1.8 million square feet of office space, 400,000 square feet of retail and cultural spaces, 2,700 rental and for‐sale homes, and a significant riverfront park... [read more]
Smart Growth Goes Mainstream
At the 10th annual smart growth awards held at the E.P.A. headquarters in Washington D.C., Doug McKalip, White House Senior Policy Advisor for Rural Affairs, praised this year’s winners for demonstrating strategies that create jobs, protect the environment, and improve the quality of life. The five winners are... [read more]
Why Smart Growth is Important to Land Conservation
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]
Presentations From The Smart Growth Awards
The EPA announced the winners of the 2011 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement today, and CNU's fingerprints left a heavy imprint this year. Congrats to CNU Board Chair Victor Dover and Dover-Kohl Partners for recognition of their work on Plan El Paso, and to CNU Board Member Doug Farr for his work on the Uptown Normal... [read more]
Why Ordinary Urban Experiences Motivate Change
One of my favorite motivational scenes, that inspires city reinvention, is the one above. The photo shows the first part of the Nice, France tramway—a city-center transit line which has helped change an automobile-oriented downtown. Experiencing this image in real-time, applying the full range of human senses, compelled my... [read more]
Smart Growth Investment Key To Small Cities' Economic Vitality
This recent report from the Center for Neighborhood Technology looks very interesting. Among other things, it seems to confirm exactly what Chuck Marohn (Community Growth Institute, Strong Towns) has been telling us about the economic imperatives facing smaller cities and towns in Heartland America: to become... [read more]
Sustainable Cities Collective
What's New on
Kaid Benfield is director of sustainable communities and smart growth at the Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington, DC. More »
Chris Cheatham is a LEED Accredited Professional and green building authority who frequently speaks to groups and associations. More »
Jared Green is Web Content and Strategy Manager at the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) More »
Rodrigo Herrera Vegas is a writer for for one of Argentina's main newspapers, La Nación, and a radio show host. More »
Warren Karlenzig Warren Karlenzig is the founder and president of Common Current. More »
Geoff Wilkinson is the Vice Chair of the Building Standards Faculty of the Chartered Institute of Building.i More »
Chuck Wolfe Chuck Wolfe is a lawyer, professor, and photographer who blogs at MyUrbanist. More »
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Transformation Through Technology: Delivering Better Public Services
When: Thu, 2012-05-24 08:00
Webinar: ISO 20121 - Sustainability & Event Management
When: Thu, 2012-05-24 08:00
Sustainability and Affordable Housing: an Interactive Charrette
When: Sat, 2012-06-02 11:00
Tourism and Sustainable Futures: Beyond 2015
When: Fri, 2012-06-15 09:00
Public Sector Leadership: driving cultural change
When: Thu, 2012-06-21 14:36
Youth Policy Summit on Urban Sustainability at UC Denver
When: Sun, 2012-06-24 12:00
“Ever since it appeared in The Road. Braddock has been on my radar for some time. They have been working hard up there for a long time. Very good to see the community pushed into the spotlight. Looking forward to watching this series of articles!”
“I don't walk by choice. My vision forced me to give up my car years ago. I won't lie, I miss being able to drive. I hate the bus, though Santa Clara's VTA is one of the best systems in the country. But I am able to get around. And I walk to shop, sometimes as far as 3 miles away. Sometimes I take the bus back, sometimes I just walk back. This changes ...”