Today, thanks to social media, innovative planning strategies and sustainable technologies are shared globally within the environmental design community. Are you part of that dialogue? If you’re reading The GRID, you’re off to a good start. Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn are also valuable resources, but there is something to be said for attending these discussions [...]
Can you imagine a small apartment, let’s say about 344 square feet, transforming into 24 different rooms? It’s possible. Well, at least when architects and engineers choose to focus on such a concept anyway, but the fact is that it has been done. Space is becoming more of a commodity, particularly within the city, such [...]
World-class entertainment, respected athletic teams, a prominent automotive headquarters, and a celebrated arts and cultural district set along an international waterway – Detroit, Michigan has always been a great events city. However, one of the city’s greatest assets, the Detroit riverfront, lay underutilized for years due to limited access and lack of connectivity. Then in [...]
One of the nice things about living in Florida are ample beaches and water. Besides possessing your typical tourist attraction, Florida’s beaches and waterfront allows transportation and urban planners to be creative with public transit. Water taxis are gaining popularity in the state, and the Tampa Bay area can utilize water taxis to connect two counties [...]
Shrinking cities, such as Detroit, Michigan, present challenging obstacles for urban planners, city council members, and residents, because they do not shrink uniformly from the perimeter inward. Instead, we are left with gaps in the urban fabric; vacant land and empty lots expanding like dark matter in our city and urban neighborhoods. Urban farming can [...]
One concern for contemporary city life may be how to implement and incorporate sustainability. Every day, each person who chooses to walk, or travel by bus or subway contributes to a cleaner and more sustainable environment. Chemically, it means fewer pounds of soot, carbon monoxide exhausted from automobiles, hydrocarbons naturally found in petroleum, and other [...]
Fall 2011, independently organized TEDxDetroit assembled an impressive line-up of Michigan entrepreneurs to share their Big Ideas with Detroit’s active social network. The focus of the day was sustainability: responsible business, exceptional education, strong communities, and innovative technologies. So, what’s the Big Idea for cities? Intelligent Streets. The IntelliStreets name demonstrates the importance of branding [...]
From the beginning of its practice, planning has always been a discipline of engagement. Without engaging and interacting with city residents and constituents, planners would be lost with regards to making effective decisions and city plans. Now, with technology virtually omnipresent and more of these residents having access to data and city information, it’s imperative [...]
In a previous blog, I wrote about the car-free suburb in Vauban, Germany. However, whether by intentional design or chance circumstances, quite a few other cities around the world continue to operate without automobile usage. Here is a selection of some of the more idiosyncratic car-free towns and cities around the world. Supai, Arizona is [...]
What makes a place? And why is it important? I have been thinking about these two questions quite a bit lately. They are probably deeper questions than any of us realize; partly because the questions seem so simple, but also, I think, because the meaning of the word “place” has been so watered down by [...]
