life on foot

"In Atlanta, virtually no newcomers from foreign countries settle within the city limits anymore;..."

Wed, 30 May 2012 10:17:23 -0400

“In Atlanta, virtually no newcomers from foreign countries settle within the city limits anymore; they all go to suburbs like Gwinnett and Cobb counties. Meanwhile, neighborhoods in the center are gaining population and becoming more expensive to live in. I believe that the problem for central cities in the coming years won’t be creating a demand to live there; it will be creating a supply of housing adequate to meet the demand.”

- Alan Ehrenhalt, author of The Great Inversion and the Future of the American City

"We can do this badly, or we can try to do it well. The Century of the Metropolis will be the object..."

Tue, 29 May 2012 11:51:56 -0400

“We can do this badly, or we can try to do it well. The Century of the Metropolis will be the object of attention for journalists, scholars, videographers, and more for many generations, but policymakers, publics, and architects, dealers in and of the concrete, cannot wait for that. They need to figure out, now, how to make the most habitable and humane hyper-dense cities they can. And of the many challenges such an endeavor poses, no single building type presents more of a conundrum than the high-rise residential tower. As millions of urban dwellers around the globe hunt for better homes, contemporary architects are returning to a question nearly as old as the modern tall building itself: can a high-rise, high-density residential tower ever become more than an oversized packing crate for people?”

- Sarah Williams Goldhagen on Architecture: Living High

"Today’s youth face a grim future not of their own making. Is it any wonder that they’re angry about..."

Sat, 26 May 2012 12:02:43 -0400

“

Today’s youth face a grim future not of their own making. Is it any wonder that they’re angry about it? What they are asking for is what previous generations so eagerly gobbled up for themselves. If those generations now believe their entitlements were too generous, then, perhaps, in the spirit of sharing the burden, they might want to give some of them back.

Didn’t think so.

”

- John Moore, National Post (via toiling)

urbanscenarios: Batelco ad by FP7/BAH

Thu, 24 May 2012 19:10:29 -0400

urbanscenarios:

Batelco ad by FP7/BAH

"When most people think of vehicle emissions, they assume cars do most of the damage, but it’s..."

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:09:44 -0400

“When most people think of vehicle emissions, they assume cars do most of the damage, but it’s actually commercial trucks that are largely to blame. Freight transportation on U.S. roadways is expected to double by 2050, and by 2030, carbon dioxide emissions are forecasted to jump 30 percent due to freight transport alone.”

- Daryl Dulaney, Siemens infrastructure chief

Credit: Andy Singer

Thu, 17 May 2012 10:13:41 -0400

Credit: Andy Singer

"The boulevard is the only part of the built environment in Southern California that operates..."

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:16:00 -0400

“The boulevard is the only part of the built environment in Southern California that operates simultaneously at local and regional scale. It defines the neighborhood block even as it gives sprawl a spine.”

- Christopher Hawthorne

"Dynamic cities have three things: technology, talent and tolerance. Those cities are magnets for..."

Tue, 15 May 2012 10:12:21 -0400

“Dynamic cities have three things: technology, talent and tolerance. Those cities are magnets for creative people to come and live. The fairness amendment is consistent with the most leading-edge data on what is good for a city.”

- Former Lincoln Sen. David Landis on the non-discrimination ordinance proposal hearings in Lincoln, Nebraska

Diagram of missing middle housing types illustrating the range...

Sun, 13 May 2012 10:03:19 -0400

Diagram of missing middle housing types illustrating the range of types and their location between single-family homes and mid-rise buildings

This city life: The Rise of the Mini Home

Sun, 13 May 2012 10:00:46 -0400

This city life: The Rise of the Mini Home:

thiscitylife:

I’ve written before about how much I enjoy living in a small home in a walkable neighbourhood. Apparently I am not the only one. Real estate trends, urban planning theorists, and architects in North America are coming to the realization that more and more young people - Generation Y - and even…

"Many mothers who stay at home are isolated. Kids can be a lot of fun but are not the most..."

Fri, 11 May 2012 11:24:35 -0400

“Many mothers who stay at home are isolated. Kids can be a lot of fun but are not the most interesting conversationalists, and many women don’t realize how much of their socializing they did with their coworkers until they are no longer working. Compact, mixed-use design means people are often out walking, in the parks, and sitting on porches, so moms feeling lonely can head out their door and find some adult company relatively easily. They can also more easily find playmates for their kids without having to go through the scheduling gyrations of official playdates—kids will be out playing. Kids in my new urban neighborhood in Colorado, Bradburn Village, run in packs. It’s common for adults to socialize with neighbors in the parks, alleys, and porches with an eye on the kids while they run around—giving mom (and dad) a break.”

- Petra Spiess, Mother’s big helper

Five Ways We'll Work Differently 10 Years From Now

Thu, 10 May 2012 14:58:00 -0400

Certainly some interesting proposals, taken with a grain of salt, of course.

Manufacturing will return and become more localized. High transportation costs will make regional manufacturing hubs more attractive.

Offices will continue to lose out to mobility, as work-anywhere trends push up office vacancies to as high as 40 percent in many markets.

Data security will go biometric, essential in a dispersed work environment where many more workers will use their own technology devices.

Commercial properties will become power generators, making sustainability a core focus in response to regulatory emphasis on reducing businesses’ carbon footprint. Companies will also seek out locations that provide incentives for going green.

Othersourcing to smarter computers will replace more white-collar jobs. Artificial intelligence software will perform routine analytical work, such as legal research and real estate financial analysis.

Source: Corporate Real Estate 2020 preliminary ideas for research by CoreNet; MARIWYN EVANS

"In the case of bike share, it’s hard for me to imagine a political environment in which the city..."

Thu, 10 May 2012 13:01:07 -0400

“In the case of bike share, it’s hard for me to imagine a political environment in which the city would have been able to pay for “truly public bicycle sharing.” Maybe some years down the road, after the system has had the bugs worked out and has proven its worth, we can hope for that. After all, let’s remember that the New York City subway system started out as a private enterprise.”

- Sarah Goodyear, The Atlantic Cities

"Nerdistan \ˈnərd-ə-stan\ n. An upscale and largely self-contained suburb or town with a large..."

Thu, 10 May 2012 11:49:18 -0400

“Nerdistan \ˈnərd-ə-stan\ n. An upscale and largely self-contained suburb or town with a large population of high-tech workers employed in nearby office parks that are dominated by high-tech industries; any large collection of nerds.”

"Most tech companies today like to be in old buildings in gritty neighborhoods rather than in..."

Wed, 09 May 2012 12:01:54 -0400

“Most tech companies today like to be in old buildings in gritty neighborhoods rather than in sparkling skyscrapers or a new industrial park in suburbs. What these companies are looking for in real estate is different from traditional offices. They want something much more open and more casual.”

- Tom Murphy, a senior resident fellow, ULI/Klingbeil Family Chair for Urban Development, and a former mayor of Pittsburgh

Infographic: Burbs Going Bust By Megan Jett

Tue, 08 May 2012 13:39:00 -0400

Infographic: Burbs Going Bust

By Megan Jett

"It turns out vehicular traffic does something else, too, more subtle but equally pernicious: It..."

Mon, 07 May 2012 12:20:57 -0400

“It turns out vehicular traffic does something else, too, more subtle but equally pernicious: It changes the way children see and experience the world by diminishing their connection to community and neighbors.”

- SARAH GOODYEAR: Kids Who Get Driven Everywhere Don’t Know Where They’re Going

Decatur, Georgia Pub Shed Credit: Scott Doyon

Sun, 06 May 2012 11:28:21 -0400

Decatur, Georgia Pub Shed

Credit: Scott Doyon

myedol: Urban Plant Tags by Carmichael Collective

Thu, 03 May 2012 10:41:25 -0400

myedol:

Urban Plant Tags by Carmichael Collective

SANDAG estimates that nearly 1.3 million residential units are...

Thu, 03 May 2012 10:38:00 -0400

SANDAG estimates that nearly 1.3 million residential units are needed by 2020 and more than 1.4 million units by 2035

The New California Dream: How Demographic and Economic Trends May Shape the Housing Market

A Land Use Scenario for 2020 and 2035 byArthur C. Nelson

life on foot

"In Atlanta, virtually no newcomers from foreign countries settle within the city limits anymore;..."

"We can do this badly, or we can try to do it well. The Century of the Metropolis will be the object..."

Sarah Williams Goldhagen on Architecture: Living High

"Today’s youth face a grim future not of their own making. Is it any wonder that they’re angry about..."

urbanscenarios: Batelco ad by FP7/BAH

"When most people think of vehicle emissions, they assume cars do most of the damage, but it’s..."

Credit: Andy Singer

"The boulevard is the only part of the built environment in Southern California that operates..."

"Dynamic cities have three things: technology, talent and tolerance. Those cities are magnets for..."

Diagram of missing middle housing types illustrating the range...

This city life: The Rise of the Mini Home

"Many mothers who stay at home are isolated. Kids can be a lot of fun but are not the most..."

Five Ways We'll Work Differently 10 Years From Now

"In the case of bike share, it’s hard for me to imagine a political environment in which the city..."

"Nerdistan \ˈnərd-ə-stan\ n. An upscale and largely self-contained suburb or town with a large..."

"Most tech companies today like to be in old buildings in gritty neighborhoods rather than in..."

Infographic: Burbs Going Bust By Megan Jett

Infographic: Burbs Going Bust

"It turns out vehicular traffic does something else, too, more subtle but equally pernicious: It..."

SARAH GOODYEAR: Kids Who Get Driven Everywhere Don’t Know Where They’re Going

Decatur, Georgia Pub Shed Credit: Scott Doyon

myedol: Urban Plant Tags by Carmichael Collective

SANDAG estimates that nearly 1.3 million residential units are...