Turning sprawling office parks into compact transit villages may be solve both congestion and energy issues at once.
The solution includes office park mixed-use housing in-fill creating the commonsense notion of "efficient human settlement patterns:" "work, home, and activities grouped within easy reach of each other." U.S. EPA was sufficiently enthused with the idea to fund a study entitled "Transforming Office Parks into Transit Villages." Small transit villages are terrific, but do not have a discernable impact when facing 50% Bay Area population growth. In contrast, "office park scale" transit villages encompass tens of thousands of people. "There’s a growing consensus to fix these places by turning them into efficient and sustainable suburban edge cities."
Thanks to Jeral Poskey
FULL STORY: BUSINESS PARK 2.0 - Can sprawling office campuses become commute- cutting communities?
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
5 New England states march closer to 800 megawatt wind energy project
Securing federal approval for the project may be complicated under the Trump administration, which has historically been hostile towards domestic wind power.
Baltimore to break ground on $50 million Transit Priority Project
The project will bring faster bus trips, safer streets and better bike connections to Baltimore.
Airbnb launches $250 million 'last-dollar financing' housing accelerator, makes first investment in Austin
The company will put $6.4 million towards affordable housing development in Texas’ capital.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association