Infrastructure

Although still being measured, the damage superstorm Sandy inflicted upon New York was clearly historic. But the stunning conclusion reached by Richard Barone of the Regional Planning Association, is that "[i]t can get a lot worse than this."

October 31, 2012 - Capital

Hurricane Sandy demonstrates that the impacts of climate change -- rising sea levels and more extreme weather patterns -- mean that the future of America's coastal cities is in doubt.

October 30, 2012 - The Nation

Though fewer in number, taxis had no competition with subways, buses, and commuter rail all shut down in advance of the Monday night storm. Matt Flegenheimer continues his update on how Hurricane Sandy affected pubic transit and roads in New York.

October 30, 2012 - The New York Times - N.Y. / Region

With supporting evidence from a USA TODAY analysis, Thomas Frank examines the LEED points system and finds that certification, and the tax breaks and other rewards that go with it, can be easily obtained without proven environmental impact.

October 30, 2012 - USA Today

Last week, networking infrastructure company Cisco announced that the Orlando community of Lake Nona will be the site of the first of the company's nine planned "Smart+Connected" cities, which will endeavor to "unify urban development and IT."

October 29, 2012 - Beta News

With the federal government unable to agree on much of anything, state and local taxpayers are bearing the burden for repairing and replacing America's aging infrastructure says a new report from Standard & Poor’s Rating Services.

October 29, 2012 - The Washington Post

In 2008 Los Angeles voters passed a half-cent sales tax to finance construction of a new transit system. In November, Angelenos will decide whether to extend this tax to 2069, allowing Metro to borrow more in the short term and expedite construction.

October 26, 2012 - The Planning Report

What do all these seemingly unrelated elements have in common? They were just a few of the creative ideas for improving the urban environment showcased at the recent Urban Prototyping Festival held in San Francisco.

October 26, 2012 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Who should be required to take the first step in suburban retrofitting? The city, in the form of providing walkable, bikeable streets, or developers, by conforming to pedestrian-oriented building standards?

October 26, 2012 - PlaceShakers

Christopher Hume delivers a forceful argument for why density is necessary for maintaining a prosperous Toronto in the decades ahead, and why the alternative, sprawl, is environmentally unsustainable and economically ruinous.

October 26, 2012 - Toronto Star

Now that Mayor Bloomberg has had his say in what New Yorkers drink, Alan Brake argues it's time for the next mayor and his partner in Albany to focus on what they eat, by devising a plan to link New York's upstate farms with its downstate markets.

October 24, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

In the first of a new series of articles tackling urban livelihoods, Caroline Skinner explains why the informal workforce matters, and offers six strategies for developing more inclusive urban planning processes.

October 24, 2012 - The Global Urbanist

With the portion of American's living in cities set to rise to 90 percent by 2050, a new set of accessibility issues will confront the nation's disabled and aging. Metropolis invited 7 teams of designers to develop solutions to meet this challenge.

October 24, 2012 - Metropolis

You read that right, Sweden's trash problem is that it doesn't have enough of it. Due to a spectacularly successful rate of recycling, the country doesn't have enough garbage to power its waste-to-energy program. It's solution: import trash.

October 24, 2012 - Fast Company Co.Exist

National Journal engaged several experts on the state of transportation infrastructure. Both Ken Orski and Rep. Earl Blumenhauer examine different aspects of the 'Infrastructure Deficit". What can we expect to see in the next four years?

October 24, 2012 - National Journal

Although "two of the hottest buzzwords in urban planning" - resilience and sustainability - are often used interchangeably, in many cases they actually work against each other. David Biello examines why both are crucial for the future of our cities.

October 23, 2012 - Slate

Emily Badger discusses new research showing that dedicated bike infrastructure has a demonstrated impact on reducing the risk of injury for cyclists.

October 23, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Taking advantage of low borrowing costs, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced this week that New York City will spend up to $1 billion on “critical” infrastructure, including bridges, roads, schools and libraries over the next 20 months.

October 20, 2012 - Bloomberg

Is the idea of "farming up" really taking off? Vertical farming could yield long-term environmental benefits, but still faces many obstacles.

October 18, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

Without the wealth for recycling, Indian cities like Bangalore rely on informal traders to collect and sell recyclable materials. Could this tech hub provide a model of trash disposal for cities in the developing and developed world alike?

October 17, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities