Vancouver's "Living First" strategy, which emphasizes downtown living, as well as careful attention to designing the downtown skyline, has made it one of North America's most livable cities.
"Most North American cities have been turned into doughnuts by decades of flight to the suburbs. Not so in Vancouver, the third largest metropolis in Canada. At least 45,000 people have moved downtown in the last 15 years -- more than doubling its population, which is now expected to reach 120,000 by 2020.
Much of the downtown area is now peppered with apartment blocks, rising to 30 storeys or more...The towers are usually set on podiums with shops and restaurants at ground-floor level and flanked by three-storey 'row houses' -- terraced houses, we would call them -- to cater for people who prefer their own door onto the street. Over 600 of these row houses have been built in the city centre so far.
None of this has happened by accident...Vancouver has a strong planning and regulatory regime, one of the most interventionist in North America."
FULL STORY: Vancouver -- healthy, happy and high density
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.
Trump Approves Futuristic Automated Texas-Mexico Cargo Corridor
The project could remove tens of thousands of commercial trucks from roadways.
Austin's First Single Stair Apartment Building is Officially Underway
Eliminating the requirement for two staircases in multi-story residential buildings lets developers use smaller lots and more flexible designs to create denser housing.
Atlanta Bus System Redesign Will Nearly Triple Access
MARTA's Next Gen Bus Network will retool over 100 bus routes, expand frequent service.
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.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)