This past Saturday, I had the honour of joining a group of invited urbanists and sustainability experts, in a special dialogue put on by The Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment, and Vancouver's Simon Fraser University. Among other things, the event was to launch a new partnership between these two innovative organizations around research and curriculum for sustainable urbanism.
Environment
Planning for Sustainability in New York City
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is both a local challenge and a global imperative, says Rohit Aggarwala, the director of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability for New York City. Nate Berg caught up with Aggarwala to talk about his office's sustainability plans and the possible dangers posed by federal intervention.
Huge San Francisco Redevelopment Project Underway
It's the largest redevelopment project since the great earthquake of 1906: 702 acres, 10,500 residential units, a shipyard brownfield cleanup, and a new stadium (hopefully) for the 49ers. The Environmental Impact Report has just been released.
San Francisco Chronicle
The Remarkable Rezoning of NYC
Recently the NYC Planning Dept. announced its 100th rezoning since Bloomberg took office. This article takes a spin through the city's remarkable shift in the last 50 years away from industry to business and tourism and a sustainable approach.
New York Observer
VMT Fee May Replace Car Taxes In Netherlands
Imagine this: Replacing the sales tax on purchasing a new vehicle and annual, 'fixed' fees with a VMT fee based on size, weight, and CO2 emissions of the vehicle. This is the plan of the Dutch government to reduce congestion and greenhouse gases.
Breitbart.com
Light From Garbage
A new concept streetlight from Yanko Design would use garbage cans built into the base as fuel tanks, converting the trash to light.
Treehugger
US, Canada and Mexico Collaborate on Wilderness Preservation
A new agreement signed this week by all three governments creates an international committee to collaborate on wilderness management.
WorldChanging
Walking the Green Streets of Portland
Matthew Roth of Streetsblog SF takes a tour of Portland's impressive green streets program from landscape architect David Elkin. Stormwater runoff is a major component of the program, as are new bike lane designs.
Streetsblog
Much-Needed Water in Nevada is Radioactive
Over forty years, the federal government exploded almost a thousand nuclear warheads under the Nevada desert. Radiation leeched into the aquifers, in a region with a growing population and a water crisis.
The Los Angeles Times
Highways Devastating the Amazon
The greatest threat to Brazil's Amazon Rain Forest is not just farming or logging, but the road construction that makes both possible, writes Stephanie Brault.
Council on Hemispheric Affairs
Man-Made Mountain Proposed in Berlin
An architect in Berlin has proposed replacing the city's now-unused Tempelhof airport with a giant man-made mountain, dubbed The Berg.
The Architect's Journal
Green Jobs Outlook Not So Rosy
The New England Economic partnership warns that Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick's optimism about green jobs may be unrealistic.
The Boston Herald
New York Tries to Dodge Superfund Status for Canal
New York City's Gowanus Canal has been heavily polluted for years. Mayor Bloomberg said the cleanup would happen, but it never did. Now the EPA is calling the troubled waterway a Superfund site and the city is kickstarting action.
The Architect's Newspaper
Making Gritty Pretty
Cities around the world are finding that turning industrial ruins into green public space is far more cost effective and fun than tearing them down.
The Walrus
Rating the Landscape
A new rating system for open and planted spaces has been created, offering a way to identify the most sustainable landscapes.
USA Today
New Natl. Parks Chief Takes Scientific Approach
Jonathan Jarvis, named the head of the National Park Service last month, says that he'll work with the National Academy of Sciences to fight global warming, which he says is "the greatest challenge ever to face national parks."
The Christian Science Monitor
Land and Water Unite in Waterfront Redevelopments
Cities across the globe are rediscovering their waterfronts. As this piece from Places discusses, revitalization of these former industrial areas includes more than just green space.
Places
The Most Polluted Metro Areas in America
Atlanta tops a list of the most polluted cities in the country, according to an analysis of EPA data by Forbes.
Forbes
'No Credits, Just Prerequisites'
The Living Building Challenge is a new environmental rating system that focuses on required environmental design elements, diverging dramatically from the credit-based approach of the built environment's dominant rating system, LEED.
Metropolis Magazine
Contribute
TECH-320: Advanced SketchUp Webinar
Advanced SketchUp Webinar
Wednesday, December 2, 11am PST/2pm EST
$49.95 (includes 30-day access to video recording)
Learn More:
TECH-320: Advanced SketchUp - Modeling Buildings
- Friday Funny: Chicken Supports Chicken Ordinance
- Class Divide in NY Inclusive Buildings
- Alternative Fuels Won't Change the Expense of Driving
- Not Just About Jobs
- Suburbs See Rise in Kids in Poverty
- Judge Rules Army Corps Responsible for New Orleans Flooding
- BRT PDQ in DF
- Investing in Infrastructure
- The Bowery is Booming (For Better or Worse)
- Are Prefabricated Overpasses the Answer?
Learning from TTI -- Michael Lewyn
Automobility and Freedom: Conflicts and Resolutions -- Todd Litman
Somewhere Between Blight and Gentrification... -- Diana DeRubertis
The Future of American High Speed Rail: Regional and Slow -- Robert Goodspeed
Prisoners of The Village -- Nate Berg
Student Writing Competition - Deadline Extended!
APA Urban Design and Preservation Division
Nov 20, 2009
NEW NCI 2009 Best Practices Report
National Charrette Institute
Nov 19, 2009
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH) Request for Proposals
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH)
Nov 19, 2009
Build your expertise in sustainable planning, public participation, urban design or real estate
Rutgers University -- Professional Development Institute
Nov 18, 2009
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