April 23 2013
April 23rd, 2013Posted by Renée van Staveren
Seeking urban planning, geography, mapping, and/or transportation students who are interested in mapping dolmus and minibus data across Istanbul. There are sixteen available positions, eight for the European side and eight for the Asian side of Istanbul. Key responsibilities: Report to the Dolmus and Minibus Route Development Manager Interview dolmus and minibus coordinators to ensure [...]
April 17 2013
April 17th, 2013Posted by Steven Chang
In 1989, the Loma Prieta Earthquake shook the Bay Area at a 6.9 magnitude, breaking a segment of the East Bay Span of the Bay Bridge. Further analysis revealed extensive damage along the 75-year old bridge, and a recommendation was made to build a new East Bay Span. However, East Bay residents didn’t want just [...]
April 16 2013
April 16th, 2013Posted by Finbar Gillen
In the neighbourhood “Polderwijk“ of Zeewolde, The Netherlands, more than a thousand homes, schools and a churches are sustainably heated with green heating that is produced with the production of electricity from biogas. The project is a partnership between the municipality, a local energy company (Essent) and a farm (Van Beek) located 5 km from [...]
April 16 2013
April 16th, 2013Posted by Devon Paige Willis
I travel to the United States. Like most Canadian cities, Montreal sits just one hour from the American border, and just six hours (by car) from New York City. However, it is not all that easy a trek to make. One can, of course, drive. However, as I am not a car-owner, my remaining options [...]
April 15 2013
April 15th, 2013Posted by Katie Poppel
Complete street design isn’t just for cities: rural communities can follow the theme, too. Living or complete streets reference street design practices incorporating all modes of transportation applicable to a specific street. For instance, public transportation, bicycles, sidewalks/walking, pedestrian “safe zones”’ basic automobiles, etc. are all taken into consideration. The over-arching goal is to make modern street [...]
April 15 2013
April 15th, 2013Posted by Aascot Holt
Previously, we discussed urban parks and how cities can mitigate issues created by time and light circumstances. This week we’ll be examining rural parks. Cheney, Washington, about 20 minutes outside of downtown Spokane, Washington. is home to Eastern Washington University, and maintains a classic, rural university town setting. During the day, Cheney’s park system is [...]
April 14 2013
April 14th, 2013Posted by Renée van Staveren
Do you have a unique specialty in the field of environmental design? Do you currently live in a town or city that has not/or is currently not being covered by another blogger? Have you successfully managed social media platforms? Do you have a passion for writing and want to learn how to successfully blog? If [...]
April 12 2013
April 12th, 2013Posted by Meg Mulhall
I recently explored the bike-friendly status bestowed upon the University of Michigan and its town Ann Arbor by the League of American Bicyclists. A general consensus on their respective bronze and silver-level ratings is that there is room for improvement. An interesting way to look at the bike community in Ann Arbor is to consider [...]
April 12 2013
April 12th, 2013Posted by Geoff Bliss
In recent decades, public staircases have been subject to a great deal of controversy in most cities, often viewed as places which are commonly associated with dangerous illegal activities such as crime, drug use, and even violence. In Cincinnati, Ohio – these staircases can be found in various urban locations throughout the city – some [...]
April 11 2013
April 11th, 2013Posted by James Gardner
In a recent op-ed in the Los Angeles Times, William deBuys, author of A Great Aridness, predicted a bleak climate future for Phoenix, Arizona. He explained that a heat island effect has been created by an overly concrete world and our dependence upon water from the Colorado River. But, in a short piece on KJZZ, [...]
April 10 2013
April 10th, 2013Posted by Sophie Plottel
With pollution and traffic problems at all-time highs in Chinese cities, some are taking up cycling as a sustainable alternative. The burgeoning environmental movement, convenient urban transportation system, and the costs of car ownership have convinced some out of their cars and onto public transportation and bikes. In the past, bicycle infrastructure was purposely neglected [...]
April 09 2013
April 9th, 2013Posted by Alex Lenhoff
For decades, Amtrak has been the only train system to serve most Florida cities, save for Miami. In the coming years, however, residents and visitors to the Sunshine State can expect a more extensive and much more connected Florida-wide rail network. Here are six examples of Florida cities that are climbing on board: Jacksonville Despite [...]
April 05 2013
April 5th, 2013Posted by Bonnie Rodd
As Austin, Texas strives to grow as a more environmentally and socially sustainable city, it has turned to Smart Growth principles to obtain its growth goals. One way in which the city has met this challenge is through the implementation of Transit-Oriented Developments, or TODs. The principles are transit-centric and consist of the following: ● [...]
April 04 2013
April 4th, 2013Posted by Maxwell Vidaver
Each day, millions of people depend on reliable transportation for access at a high level of efficiency; and in this way, cities are the largest people movers around. From a logistical standpoint, the efficiency as well as effectiveness and sustainability of these systems is directly correlated with intelligent planning techniques that are able to react [...]
April 02 2013
April 2nd, 2013Posted by Luis Lozano-Paredes
Buenos Aires has a saturated transportation system and, due to this factor, the population’s quality of life is on the decline. The main cause of this collapsing system is the disproportionate participation of the private car. The total amount of movement in the city via private car reaches almost forty percent of total movement per [...]
April 02 2013
April 2nd, 2013Posted by Finbar Gillen
The Netherlands is a relatively small country, however it has a considerably sizeable population that is currently in and around 16.5 million. This makes it one of the most densely populated countries in the world, with almost 83% living in urban regions. It is an extremely low lying country with about 50% of its land [...]
April 01 2013
April 1st, 2013Posted by Aascot Holt
How does time and light affect our urban parks? During the day, Spokane, Washington’s Riverfront Park is filled with children and their parents on the giant “Radio Flyer” statue/playground equipment piece, cyclists and runners on the paved paths, elderly folks watching the geese in the Spokane River which runs through the middle of the park, [...]
April 01 2013
April 1st, 2013Posted by Athina Kyrgeorgiou
When we wake up in the morning and the weather is sunny and warm, don’t we feel more happy and eager to go out and face everyday life? Imagine a patient that stays in a hospital room for many days. If they wake up in a room full of sunshine, surely they feel more relaxed [...]
March 29 2013
March 29th, 2013Posted by Geoff Bliss
In the course of the last decade, American river cities have sustained continued interest from policy makers and urban planners who have worked to create targeted opportunities for significant long-term investment and economic development. In Cincinnati, this reinvestment has received national attention in terms of how the city has been able to connect environmental design [...]
March 26 2013
March 26th, 2013Posted by Robert Poole
Nested in California’s East Oakland is a culturally vibrant neighborhood known as Fruitvale. In 1999 the city began construction on a transit-oriented development project called Fruitvale Village, which was completed in 2004. This successful urban planning initiative exemplifies smart-growth, as it brings transit, commercial and residential sectors into one small area while preserving the unique character [...]
