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…
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…
Walking The New Broadway
In the Spring of 1904, the world’s first electrified advertisement appeared on a bank in New York at the corner of Broadway and 46th Street, in what was soon to be called Times Square. In many ways, this event anticipated…
European Cities Limiting the Car, Improving Quality of Life
Europe, as we know, has a much different urban fabric — because most of its cities were developed long before cars arrived. They have narrower streets, are more walkable, more bike-friendly, and more pleasant. Nonetheless, Europe went the same route…
Cities Could Imitate Nature, be More Sustainable
“Urban sprawl literally defines the modern city,” Dickson Despommier of What Matters writes. Truthfully, even here in Europe, most cities are sprawling out to accommodate the car. Despommier continues on: “We can all understand that this kind of growth is the…
Dutch Improving Cycle Networks, Building Fast Cycle Lanes
The Dutch are already well-known for having the best bicycle facilities in the world (well, there is a bit of competition between the Netherlands and Denmark, but the two nations are clearly on top of the world when it comes…
El Paso: Smart Growth Model?
If you’re looking for a good example of thoughtful, place-based planning for transit-oriented development (TOD) in a location not yet known for it, you could do a lot worse than Connecting El Paso, a 264-page tour de force vision for parts of…
Is the U.S. Now a Nation of Incrementalists?
The U.S. is known for being big, having big visions, having big plans and projects. But has that all changed in the past few decades? Karrie Jacobs of The Infrastructurist delves into this matter in great deal and concludes: “Apparently…