Can planners and architects build a better model of suburbia? Long Island Index thinks so, and has designed a contest to retrofit parts of asphalt laden suburban Long Island. Ideas are discussed in this NYT blog on design and architecture.
Allison Arieff suggests that the word "suburb has outlived its usefulness as a descriptive term - and as a model for future planning."
"Suburbs continue to be designed for homogeneity even though they're no longer homogeneous at all, and in fact have become increasingly varied in type, density, infrastructure and demographics."
Noting that "Long Island is the third most segregated suburban region in the country" and the home of the a town so closely associated with suburbia, Levittown, it provides an excellent venue for planners to test their skills
"The aim of Build a Better Burb, says Ann Golob, director of the Long Island Index, was "to help Long Islanders visualize what our region might look like if we boldly reconsidered how we build here."
Thanks to Palo Alto Online
FULL STORY: Blueprints for a Better ‘Burb'
PBS Takes on Urban Planning, Good and Bad, with '10 Towns' Special
Beginning with the first U.S. planned urban development, St. Augustine, Fla., and ending with one of Portland's newest neighborhoods, the Pearl District, host Geoffrey Baer takes us through ten developments that left their mark, for better or worse.
Revisiting the Archetypal Post-War Suburb
A CityLab article takes a trip to Levittown, Pennsylvania for a lesson in how places change, even when some places stay the same.
Long Island Searching for Direction
Although it hosts some of the nation’s first and most successful auto suburbs, Long Island has experienced a downturn. This infographic-focused piece delves into the reasons why.
Boston Introduces 'Maximum Parking Ratios' for Large Buildings
Large buildings with uses of all kinds will be subject to Boston's new "Maximum Parking Ratios."
5 Tips for Planning Safe Post-Pandemic Events
As community events start move off-screen and become available to the public again, here are five ways organizers can ensure public health and safety.
Jaywalking, Idaho Stop Bills Vetoed by California's Governor
Faced with the opportunity to redefine the traffic safety regime in one of the nation's most progressive states, Governor Gavin Newsom flinched.
Norwalk Redevelopment Agency
City of Cotati
City of Austin Transportation Department
Symbium
Rowan University's Department of Geography, Planning, & Sustainability
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Hillsborough County Public Schools
City of Raleigh
City of Laramie, Wyoming and Albany County Wyoming
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.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
