The Vauban district is a green, planned community in the city of Freiburg in southern Germany. Construction of this community began in the mid-1990s and opened in 2000. By 2001, it had 2,000 inhabitants living in a greener, more sustainable…
Searching for Parking: Enormous Waste of Time & Money (Note: Cars Don’t Fit in the City)
Parking, if only there were more of it your life would be easier, right? Not really. Look at the parking lot of a Wal-Mart Supercenter. It spreads everything out so much you “have to” drive from one side of the…
Big Cities Not Necessarily the Big Polluters
Big cities are often associated with pollution. However, if you look at pollution per capita, some of the world’s biggest cities are actually quite green. One key reason is that people in many big cities use efficient, public transportation more…
Happiest City in U.S.? (No Cars on Main Street, No Fast Food, No Smoking, Bike Valet)
Oprah recently featured San Luis Obispo, “America’s Happiest Town” (if the video above doesn’t work for you, that’s the link to it). Jenny McCarthy actually does the leg work for this video story. Highlighted features of the city are that…
Why Planning for Children Can Make Cities Better for Everyone
Many of the things we need to do to make cities better for children would also make them better for everyone. But many city planners and others who listen to the complaints of mothers often seem more interesting in saying…
City to Broadcast Bird Songs to Make Residents Happier
How can the city government make you happier? Perhaps by planting more trees. Perhaps by creating more parks and bike paths. Perhaps by broadcasting bird songs.. this is what one city might start doing with that specific goal in mind.…
How to Make “Access” a Sexier Word and Goal?
You probably have no idea what I’m talking about at this point. The term “access” in city planning refers to a person’s ability to get somewhere or something. Makes sense, right. And it’s what city planners are focused on, isn’t…
Los Angeles Has an Ecovillage — Did You Know?
Ecovillages are generally associated with rural or suburban areas, but they can be in the city, too. In fact, with the many naturally green features of the city, there are plenty who argue they should be in the city more.…
Betaville: Making Urban Planning More Democratic
Want to be more involved in the development and design of your city? Want a fun way to creatively engage via your computer? If so, Betaville may be just what you’re looking for. Here’ more from UrbanOmnibus: “A living city…
Livable Streets are without Car Traffic: Where Did the U.S. Go Wrong?
In 1981, scholar Donald Appleyard published the book “Livable Streets” (link is to the 2nd edition soon to be published) based on his research into how people experience streets with different traffic volumes. Streetfilms recently covered portions of his research…