Last week, I featured a great project by the Center for Creative Land Recycling (CCLR), the Sacramento Railyard renovation and revitalization project. CCLR is focused on reusing or recycling brownfields, lands dirtied with industrial contamination that just need a bit of effort to get in use again. This is popular, exciting work amongst city planners — it’s like turning an old, beat-up car into a beauty again.
Country’s “Most Ambitious” Smart Growth Project Moving Forward
The Atlanta BeltLine, dubbed, the country’s “most ambitious” or “best” smart growth project is, obviously, a big project. It involves re-purposing a 22-mile rail corridor to include new forms of public transit (streetcars or light rail connected to MARTA at a number of locations), trails for walking and bicycling, and a number of parks, all around the center of Atlanta. The city is putting $2.8 billion (yes, billion) into it and there is a ton of private investment going in as well.
7- to 14-Year-Olds Get Chance to Design Their “Dream Streets” in UK
Streets should be child-friendly, don’t you think? I certainly think so, and so does Sustrans, a sustainable transport charity based in the United Kingdom. Sustrans has launched a competition for primary and secondary school children (7- to 14-year-olds) that has them designing their “dream streets.”
Transportation in India {CrAzY Video}
I’ve had this sitting in drafts for 3 months now — somehow unable to get to it every week. But I’ve saved it all that time to cover on here because it’s so amazing.
Southern California Investing in Bike Paths!
Southern California is known for its beautiful weather and, ironically, for its auto-centric development patterns. Why not take advantage of that beautiful weather more, some have argued. And they are actually being listened to, finally,.. in Long Beach at least.…
Peak Oil & Sustainable Development Expert Talks about the Situation Today In-Depth [VIDEOS]
James Kunstler, a renowned writer and a long-time expert on city planning, suburbia, sustainable development (in particular, New Urbanism), and peak oil, goes into depth on the worldwide peak oil crisis we are starting to face. His most well-known books…
How Perugia, Italy Said Goodbye to Traffic, Hello to Improved Quality of Life
If you want to see an idyllic, small Italian city, Perugia may be the place for you. It fits all the characteristics of those beautiful Italian towns from the movies. However, it hasn’t forever. It took visionaries with a green…
World-Leading Sustainable Community in Germany: Vauban District
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…
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…