infrastructure posts, articles, and infographics

How a rain garden cleans industrial pollution

January 25, 2012 by Kaid Benfield
with 206 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 47 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 160 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 80 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 360 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 371 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 233 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 101 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 256 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]

Riosucio’s “Metro” is Colombia’s Longest Pedestrian Bridge

August 8, 2011 by TheCityFix - produced by EMBARQ
with 155 views

Local residents of Riosucio have named their city's pedestrian bridge "the metro." Photo by Ocha Colombia. The municipality of Riosucio (“Dirty River”), located in Northwest Colombia in the Chocó State, floods annually. [read more]

From One Crisis to the Next: Congress Must Pass a Transportation Bill for All Users

August 3, 2011 by The Dirt ASLA
with 95 views

As Congress wraps up its work on a debt ceiling deal that will avert a world-wide financial catastrophe, another crisis is looming down the road – literally. In less than 60 days, our nation’s surface transportation law will expire on September 30th, leaving the country’s highways, roads, streets, bridges and other infrastructure... [read more]

Chinese Municipalities Face Debt Scrutiny Echoing US Cities

July 6, 2011 by Adam Mayer
with 90 views

Credit rating agency Moody’s recently released a report claiming that Chinese financial auditors have understated local government debt by half a trillion dollars. This is no small estimate, and the thought of so many non-performing loans on bank balance sheets is enough to make any seasoned investor bearish on China. Of course, the... [read more]