Instead of planning cities around shiny, tomorrowland dreams of our own invention, how about planning them around something we can count on: the needs of people! Complete with a groovy, vintage planning video mash-up.
Scott Doyon does a run down of recent blogs that encourage us to plan for people; not some unproven ideas and untried, futuristic concepts. Doyon encourages us to resist "...[planning] a city around an imagined tomorrow that’s in large parts the same as today, only shinier and more organized. We’re people, not organizing units. And what it takes, at the most basic level, to accommodate us, nurture us, and bring us together is a question already answered."
"We need an urban form proven to adapt to and weather change, progress and the promise of the unexpected. And that form already exists. In fact, it’s been adapting and improving incrementally for 5,000 years."
"The traditional city serves people. And, through thoughtful and ongoing collaboration with those people, it will continue to do so. Whatever the future throws our way."
FULL STORY: Planning for People
EPCOT: The Original 'Smart City'
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Ford Launches City of Tomorrow Challenge in Grand Rapids
The new initiative will fund crowdsourced mobility solutions.
The Sidewalk to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions
When the vision's all right but the outcomes are all wrong, zoning's often the problem. And the public realm is left holding the bag.
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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.
San Diego Votes to Rein in “Towering” ADUs
City council voted to limit the number of units in accessory buildings to six — after confronting backyard developments of up to 100 units behind a single family home.
Texas Legislature’s Surprising Pro-Housing Swing
Smaller homes on smaller lots, office to apartment conversions, and 40% less say for NIMBYs, vote state lawmakers.
Even Edmonton Wants Single Staircase Buildings
Canada's second most affordable major city joins those angling to nix the requirement for two staircases in multi-family buildings.
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Borough of Carlisle
Smith Gee Studio
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)