Conservation & Recreation posts, articles, and infographics

Performance-Based Energy Code Does Not Eliminate Threat of Preemption

February 2, 2012 by Shari Shapiro
with 22 views

Yesterday, I posted that the District of New Mexico had issued a decision on the remaining open issues in the AHRI v. City of Albuquerque case. In the 1970's, the Federal government enacted minimum efficiency standards for certain HVAC equipment, which have been updated periodically since. In 2007, the... [read more]

How Greenways Create Healthy Communities

January 31, 2012 by City Parks Blog
with 199 views

This post explores using greenways as the connector to parks, neighborhoods, schools and mixed-use centers, allowing for urban and rural ideas to merge and produce a superior hybrid community form. [read more]

The green dividend from reusing older buildings

January 24, 2012 by Kaid Benfield
with 225 views

We already know that, in many cases, retaining older buildings - especially those of architectural or historic character - can strengthen the enduring legacy and enjoyment of a community. But is it good for the environment? [read more]

Is the Earth Squandering Its Future?

January 20, 2012 by Audrey Henderson
with 71 views

The Lorax, Dr. Seuss' fictional account of unchecked urban development gone bad, is as relevant today as it was when it originally appeared in print and on television during the 1970s. This post illustrates several of the tragically unlearned lessons of that whimsically-told, yet nonetheless urgently serious cautionary tale. [read more]

Parks Breathe Life (and Jobs) into Cities

December 23, 2011 by City Parks Blog
with 261 views

The South Platte River has become a cherished recreational asset for residents and visitors to Denver. Thoughtful, visionary planning and public-private partnership have restored and transformed the city’s waterfront from what was once called an “urban dump” to refuge for wildlife and people alike. Local efforts to improve the river have... [read more]

Report: Despite Funding Cuts, Urban Parks Grow

December 9, 2011 by City Parks Blog
with 90 views

The Trust for Public Land has released its most recent data on city park systems from across the country, showing that the 100 largest cities added more than 120 parks in the past year.Despite aggregate increases in acreage and facilities across the U.S., many city park departments are struggling with funding shortages. Operational... [read more]

Why Smart Growth is Important to Land Conservation

December 7, 2011 by Kaid Benfield
with 145 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]

How "Pocket Parks" Make Cities Safer and Healthier

November 23, 2011 by Kaid Benfield
with 214 views

A research team has found that distressed neighborhoods where vacant lots have been converted into small parks and community green spaces are associated with reduced crime when compared to neighborhoods with unimproved vacant lots. The study was conducted by a group from the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman... [read more]

US Mayors Push Obama For Conservation

November 10, 2011 by City Parks Blog
with 55 views

Nearly 50 mayors across the country urged President Obama this week to support federal funding of urban parks and green space as a strategy for creating jobs and driving economic development. Mayors from Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and smaller cities like Bozeman, Montana, and Bridgeport, Connecticut, sent a... [read more]

Learning from the Past: Balancing Preservation and Urbanization

October 22, 2011 by Waverly de Bruijn Klaw
with 221 views

...Quit thinking abut decent land-use as solely an economic problem. Examine each question in terms of what is ethically and aesthetically right, as well as what is economically expedient. A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise... [read more]

Misinterpreting the Heritage Tree Ordinance

October 21, 2011 by Chris Bradford
with 59 views

As I implied here, the Planning Commission should have conducted a cost-benefit analysis before denying a permit to remove the Bowie Street heritage tree. Under any reasonable cost-benefit analysis, the tree should go. Ignore the environmental benefits of denser development downtown, the spillover benefits to the neighbors in a rapidly emerging downtown neighborhood, the goal of promoting a more walkable downtown. Ignore the hit to the property owner, who must now find another buyer who almost certainly will pay him less money. [read more]

Visions for an Urban National Park

October 18, 2011 by Daniel Nairn
with 44 views

I'll admit that I had no idea a reasonably large national park existed within the boundaries of New York City. Even after a short-lived but legitimate childhood obsession with national park trivia, and after having worked in a national park in Wyoming for a little while, this urban recreational area escaped me. That is until opening... [read more]