What aspects of urbanism and quality of life got lost with the
creation of today's modern post-industrial urbanism, or the Sanitary City?
And what bearing does this have on the future of green urbanism and
sustainability?
Going back just 100 years, cities were filled with noise, smell, smoke,
sewage, animals, slaughter houses, trash incinerators, market gardens, stables,
etc. Through building codes, use-based zoning, water system upgrades, creation
of the electricity grid, and the emergence of the automobile, and establishing
environmental regulations, we were able to eliminate most of these urban
problems. Overall this has led to large increases in the quality of human
life.
But what has been the cost of moving up Maslow's pyramid? Are we
healthier? - absolutely. Happier? - maybe. Sustainable? – not even
close.
Achieving urban sustainability requires more than tinkering with the
efficiency and intelligence of the modern city. The future urban experience needs to
be built on principles of ecology, biological processes, and cyclical
metabolisms. This means that compost,
water management, and local wastewater are part of the cityscape, as is the smell
of compost, ripe fruit, and sounds of chickens, pigs, goats, and the occasional
rooster. Reinstating these organic qualities as norms, rather than
idiosyncratic aberrations, is essential to the transition from the Sanitary
City to the Sustainable City.
In other words, sometimes you need to go backward to go forward.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

The French Solution to Congested Tunnels: Make Them Car-Free
Bay Area transportation officials keep expanding car capacity. Lyon’s Croix Rousse Tunnel offers a different way.

Missouri Governor Reverses Anti-Discrimination Housing Policies
A new state law bars cities from prohibiting source-of-income discrimination against tenants using Section 8 housing vouchers.

USDOT Launches Unfunded 'SAFE ROADS' Program
The program targets “distractions” and “political messages or artwork,” and paves the way for autonomous vehicles.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Fort Worth
planning NEXT
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie
