Archive for the ‘Housing’ Category

May 16 2012

Urban Relocation in Istanbul, Turkey: What is Being Done Wrong?

May 16th, 2012Posted by Erman Eruz

Urban relocation is often used, whether justifiably or not, as a part of the urban renewal project of Istanbul in its endeavor to become a “world-city.” As the main actor to carry out urban renewal projects, Mass Housing Administration has the authority to relocate squatter communities whenever it’s deemed appropriate, and usually these communities are relocated to [...]

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May 16 2012

Water in Tempe, Arizona: Colorado River Sourced

May 16th, 2012Posted by Jeff P Jilek

In a desert climate, such as Tempe, Arizona, rain is sparse. At only 4.5 inches per year, it is a very dry place. The city gets water, nevertheless, as is demonstrated by the unusual amount of lawn-grown grass surrounding the suburban and urban sprawl. The question then is how? How do residents get the water [...]

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May 08 2012

Municipal Bankruptcy: How Mammoth Lakes, CA is Struggling to Provide Essential Services During Default

May 8th, 2012Posted by Patricia Kent

Chapter 9 is the section of the National Bankruptcy Code that provides for the reorganization of debt incurred by municipalities such as cities, towns, counties, and villages. The very first municipal bankruptcy was filed in the United States in 1934 during the Great Depression. While the provision has been around for 60 years, there have [...]

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May 02 2012

New Conceptions on the Link Between Rural and Urban Development

May 2nd, 2012Posted by Erman Eruz

There is a strong paradigm shift in the literature recently, on how rural development and urban development affect one another. The conventional wisdom of the last three decades suggests that urban and rural developments are separate and compete with each other for resources. However, a closer looks reveals that this is far from the truth. [...]

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April 26 2012

Designing for the Disabled in the United Kingdom

April 26th, 2012Posted by Ashley Roberts

It is almost guaranteed that at some point every Architect across the United Kingdom has despaired at them. Building regulations regarding the access to and use of buildings, otherwise known as Approved Document M are more often than not, at the least, a minor annoyance, if not a full blown architectural headache. With a continuous [...]

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April 11 2012

(The GRID Blogger) Erman Eruz: Istanbul, Turkey

April 11th, 2012Posted by Renée van Staveren

A big Global Site Plans welcome to our newest blogger, Erman Eruz from Istanbul, Turkey. Erman Eruz is an undergraduate at Princeton University where he is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and Civil Engineering, along with a certificate in Urban Studies. Having grown up in Istanbul, Turkey, he is interested in a wide [...]

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March 28 2012

Master-Planned Communities: Planning Genius or Behind the Times?

March 28th, 2012Posted by Sarah Thomas

Master-planned communities are all-inclusive neighborhoods that are located on the fringe of the urban core. While these have been lauded in the past for incorporating an all-inclusive design, they also have been blamed for perpetuating the movement of people and families to the outskirts of town and perpetuating urban sprawl. The city of Tampa, Florida [...]

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March 14 2012

Designing Suburban Enclaves in Urban Areas: Tampa, Florida Shows the Way

March 14th, 2012Posted by Sarah Thomas

Many people choose to relocate to the suburbs to achieve a lifestyle change: large backyards, block parties, safety. As many perks as the suburban lifestyle presents, it also presents many downfalls. Longer commutes and encroachment on precious wildlife are just two of those downfalls. It does not have to be a choice between one or [...]

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March 13 2012

Ecobuild 2012 Conference: London, United Kingdom

March 13th, 2012Posted by Ashley Roberts

Are you interested in sustainability, but not sure where to get the latest information, sample products, and meet like-minded people? The upcoming Ecobuild conference in London, United Kingdom could be just the event for you. Ecobuild is, put simply, the place to go to update your environmental expertise and put yourself ahead of the competition [...]

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March 07 2012

Edward Mazria’s Architecture 2030 and It’s Legacy: The Building Sector

March 7th, 2012Posted by Jeff P Jilek

Edward Mazria proposed a challenge to be carbon neutral by 2030. Since buildings are the major source of pollution, then necessarily they are the solution. In his own words; The Problem: The Building Sector, The Solution: The Building Sector. Since he posited his theory, he has gained many proponents: Architects, Landscape Architects, Urban Planners, Engineers, [...]

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