Tag: transportation

As municipalities throughout North America seek to reform their development patterns (or at least expand their options) from the single-use zoning and automobile oriented regulations of the past century to those that allow for walkable, compact, mixed use places, there is a long list of standards and regulations... Continue Reading

In most physical and policy planning, triple bottom line benchmarks focus on environment and economy, and tend to skim over the subject of society. That's probably because urban design impacts are much easier to measure with respect to profit and planet than they are with respect to people. Any good MBA... Continue Reading

How California will redevelop its existing communities in the future is up for debate. And, it's about time. The role of redevelopment in shaping our built environment came to its crescendo in the halcyon days of 2005 over Kelo vs. New London. Today, Susette Kelo's home sits as a vacant scar on business-as-usual redevelopment... Continue Reading

The holiday season is our culture's designated time for wishes of good cheer and contemplative New Years Resolutions for a better tomorrow. Or so I thought. Then I read this stark statement: “Scott Walker, governor-elect of Wisconsin, who vowed to stop the train in a campaign commercial, said that the train from Milwaukee... Continue Reading

The obesity epidemic isn’t really “news” anymore (thank you, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution) yet when I question my friends who work outside the fields of design and planning on why Americans are so fat, they tie everything back to poor food choices. But what about exercise? They reply that if you want to exercise,... Continue Reading

According to a new report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development -- more commonly known for crunching global budget and employment numbers  -- the United States is on track to be 75% obese by 2020. 3 out of every 4. And if you check with researchers at Johns Hopkins University, they’ll... Continue Reading

Context is everything. The New York Times reports with unease that the FDA has approved statin drug Crestor’s use in a preventive capacity for those not currently diagnosed with cholesterol problems. The degree to which this represents innovation in medicine is a topic to be debated elsewhere. What matters to me is... Continue Reading

Like any next, big something, placemaking is growing up. And in its role as gawky adolescent, it's beginning to realize something most of us have long since come to accept: You can't skirt by on youthful good looks forever. Today, efforts to create more endearing and enduring surroundings are being subjected to decidedly... Continue Reading

When President Obama declared, before an audience in Ft. Myers, Florida, on Feb. 10, an end to "just building sprawl forever" (fast-forward to around 58:58 for the money quote), it may have signaled a change of venue in the battle over how the stimulus package is interpreted and applied. President Obama addresses residents... Continue Reading

When the Democrats' $825 billion economic stimulus seemed to choose same-ol' over sustainable, Smart Growth advocates and New Urbanists began turning up the heat. Favoring super highways over mass transit, rail, pedestrian, and biking alternatives incentivized sprawl for decades. And isn't sprawl part of what got us in... Continue Reading