America's so-called “love affair” with the automobile, although cliché, provides a vivid description of how attached we really are to driving. Public policy, and the historically overwhelming effect of auto industry lobbying, is only partly to blame for the endemic traffic jams and smog of the twentieth century. Bruce Schaller, a transportation consultant hired by New York City advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, recently demonstrated that urbanites with multiple transportation options still choose to commute by car for rational reasons of privacy, convenience, and speed. A chart of his, shown below, demonstrates how perplexing this choice is. Overcoming these reasons is a ser
Social / Demographics
Big and Getting Bigger
Cities on the rise are growing faster and cities on the decline are shrinking slower, according to new figures from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Wall Street Journal
Growing Fast and Riding the Momentum
The U.S. Census Bureau recently released a list of the fastest-growing cities, in terms of population growth. Those on the list are hoping their growth will pull them through the recession.
The Christian Science Monitor
Cash-Strapped Cities Ditch Fourth of July Fireworks
Tight budgets are causing cities across the country to skip fireworks displays for their Fourth of July celebrations.
Los Angeles Times
The Shared Woes of the Auto Industry and the Black Middle Class
The downfall of the American auto industry is also having a major impact on middle and working class African-American families. This piece from the The New York Times Magazine looks at the connection.
The New York Times Magazine
City People Do-It-Themselves
This post from The New York Times' blog examines how city government's are increasingly relying on automated services to keep order and boost revenue, and how citizens are reacting.
The New York Times
Bicycle Use Surpasses Car Use in Amsterdam
According to the latest numbers out of Amsterdam, residents are for the first time using bicycles for transport more often than they use their cars.
The Oregonian
Suburbs are Growing Faster
A report from the US Census Bureau shows that the nation continues to suburbanize.
New Geography
Under Surveillance
The city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, will soon be one of the most watched cities in the world, with plans for 165 closed circuit cameras monitoring public spaces.
Los Angeles Times
A Cheapskate’s Guide To Urban (Rooftop/Balcony) Gardening
Mon, 06/22/2009 - 14:17
I can’t deny that one of my strongest personality traits is that of being a hard-core cheapskate. So much so, that I feel obliged to caveat this post by saying that my initial reasons for getting into rooftop gardening were more to save money on buying fresh vegetables and fruit from our rather pricey local markets than any particular affection for gardening. While it turns out that my wife and I probably do save money (surprisingly, I never ran the numbers), the joy of gardening, and the kick I get out of showing our rooftop garden off to friends, has far outweighed the economic benefits. As counter-intuitive as it sounds, urban gardening is much easier than you might imagine. The hardest part is overcoming the psychological hurdle of thinking that it is difficult, confusing, time-consuming, or takes up lots of space. In fact, it is none of these things; you don’t need expensive, special equipment, or any particular skill. You only need a window box, a fire escape, or a small patch of patio if that’s all you have. If this geeky transportation engineer can grow tomatoes, so can you!
Judaism and Urbanism
Mon, 06/22/2009 - 12:22
After visiting Denver for the Congress for New Urbanism (CNU) conference, I began to meditate on the relationship between Judaism and urbanism, and on how few cities accommodate both. In particular, I was impressed by how well-populated downtown Denver was compared to the southern cities where I have spent the past three years (Jacksonville) and this summer (Little Rock) - but I stll couldn’t imagine myself living in downtown Denver all that comfortably.
Most Unaffordable Housing, Most Livable Cities?
The Economist magazine has published it's list of the most livable cities in the world. But quite a few of these cities have the most unaffordable housing, complains Owen McShane.
New Geography
Finding Public Space Wherever They Can in Cairo
Dense Cairo has few sanctioned public spaces. So residents make do wherever they can.
The New York Times
Sidewalks Key Factor Influencing Physical Activity
A new study provides further evidence that incorporating sidewalks into existing neighborhoods is a practical and inexpensive way of encouraging people to exercise.
SDSU NewsCenter
Masterplanning the Architecture of the Near Future
As the population rises, underused and empty spaces are going to fill in. How well the transition works depends on shifts in demographics and infrastructure, as well as architecture. A studio of UCLA architecture students were asked to plot that transition. But before they could be architects, they had to be planners.
Parkour Enthusiasts Rediscover The American City
While urbanists have long used the built environment as their playground, the French sport of parkour is connecting residents of America's cities to their surroundings in a new, if not extreme manner.
Philadelphia Inquirer
Athletes (Like Stallworth) Are Not The Only Ones Who Get Off Easy
Wed, 06/17/2009 - 10:51
If you watched or read the news yesterday, then you likely came across the sentencing of Donte Stallworth. Previously known (maybe) for being an NFL role player, Stallworth will serve a 30 day sentence for hitting and killing a pedestrian named Mario Reyes while driving intoxicated here in Miami Beach. The typical sentence for such an offense in Florida is 4 to 15 years. Stallworth will be released just in time for his NFL training camp.
How convenient.
Well-Designed Prison, Well-Behaved Prisoners
A prison design in Austria that emphasizes inmate comfort and dignity raises questions about the role architecture and design plays in preventing or encouraging more crime.
The New York Times
