Category Archives: Urban Design

Shelter for the Storm: Comparing Blue and Green Roofs

Posted on June 29, 2012 by

On the rooftop of Public School 118 in Queens, New York, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP),  in partnership with the Department of Education, is testing two alternative roofing surfaces. For a three year monitoring period, data from the study at … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Built Environment, Energy, Environmental, Infrastructure, Pollution, Sustainability, Urban Design, Water | 1 Comment

Walk Score: How an Online Tool is Changing the Way We Think About “Walkability”

Posted on April 30, 2012 by

Walk Score is a website that takes a physical address—enter yours here—and uses software to compute data that can measure the walkability of the surrounding neighborhood. Once you type in an address, data is aggregated into an intuitive interface, showing you … Continue reading →

Posted in Built Environment, Housing, Open Space, Planning, Public Health, Public Safety, Roads/Highways, Transportation, Urban Design, Walkability | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Sustainability on Display

Posted on August 26, 2011 by

Is this the world’s greenest neighborhood? Kaid Benfield, Director of Sustainable Communities for the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC), posed that question in an article for The Atlantic magazine in which he detailed his visit to Dockside Green.  The 15-acre community nestled in Victoria, British Columbia … Continue reading →

Posted in Built Environment, Renewable Resources, Sustainability, Urban Design | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Tower Made of Timber

Posted on April 6, 2011 by

At first glance, it might appear to be an unsustainable practice, but the proposition of building an entirely wooden skyscraper may be an opportunity for innovation, according to architect and University of Toronto Professor Larry Richards.  The idea that wooden structures could reach … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Environmental, Natural Disasters, Renewable Resources, Urban Design | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

An Urban Planning Tug-of-War

Posted on February 2, 2011 by

For the past 30 years a movement called New Urbanism has dominated the urban planning and development world.  Yet, this darling of many planning aficionados has been challenged in the past few years by the up-and-coming (relatively speaking, it’s been around … Continue reading →

Posted in Planning, Sustainability, Urban Design | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

And the Winner Is…

Posted on January 27, 2011 by

Photo: MVVA/HNTB Team Who knew roadkill in America is an $8 billion dollar problem?!  Thus, born out of necessity (aptly referred to as an emerging critical priority) according to organizers, comes the ARC: International Wildlife Crossing Infrastructure Design Competition.  The … Continue reading →

Posted in Built Environment, Environmental, Infrastructure, Land Use, Roads/Highways, Urban Design | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Mega-Burden

Posted on December 10, 2010 by

The world’s population is exploding. By 2040, two in three people will live in cities, and the world’s urban population will grow from 3.5 billion to 5.6 billion. The number of “megacities” – urban areas with more than 10 million … Continue reading →

Posted in Built Environment, Congestion, Infrastructure, Land Use, Sustainability, Transportation, Urban Design | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Pedestrian Safety: An Epidemic?

Posted on September 23, 2010 by

Pedestrian deaths have decreased 16% since 1998 according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) fact sheet.  Yet, that hasn’t stopped a coalition of housing, business, environmental, public health, transportation, equitable development, and other organizations, who refer to their … Continue reading →

Posted in Public Safety, Urban Design | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Nimble Cities

Posted on June 16, 2010 by

Slate wants your ideas! They want to know how you would move people efficiently, safely, and in a pleasurable way.  Then they want you to vote on the best submission.  Its called Nimble Cities, the second part of their Hive … Continue reading →

Posted in Built Environment, Infrastructure, Land Use, Planning, Sustainability, Transportation, Urban Design | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Beautifying Highways

Posted on May 6, 2010 by

Photo: Mei-Chun Jau, for USA TODAY Most people would agree that freeway driving is stressful, to say the least.  Though they get us where we need to go, freeways simultaneously conjure up negative  images of congestion, pollution, gridlock, and neighborhood separation. … Continue reading →

Posted in Environmental, Infrastructure, Land Use, Transportation, Urban Design | 1 Comment