Drastic Measures for Dealing With Highway Blight
With the pendulum of public opinion swinging in favor of transit, walking, and biking, highways have become the poster children for what is wrong with the transportation ideas of the past. It’s clear that there are many ways of dealing with highway blight, but its clear that cities aren’t interested in mere beautification or simply ignoring the problem. Most cities are looking at capping them or removing them entirely.
What Legacy Will the Shanghai World Expo Have on Cities?
Shanghai’s motto is “Better City, Better Life”, and that theme runs through the pavilions. Unfortunately, the pavilions themselves seem to ignore the motto in favor of context-less architecture.
Squaring a Circle: The Story of Circleville, Ohio
Circleville was the only American city designed with a circular, radial plan, the only city built with respect to the earthworks of native people, and the first city in America to see large-scale urban renewal. That urban renewal took the form of removing the circle from Circleville.
A Market for Backyard Produce Growers
In a time when people are starting to grow their own vegetables in increasing numbers, there is no place for people to go and sell or exchange vegetables. Farmers markets don’t fit the scale of a backyard gardener; a new type of market is needed.
Vertical Farms Give Urban Agriculture a Bad Name
None of the vertical farms featured in architecture magazines have ever been built. They sure are fun to look at, but do they do the urban agriculture movement any good?
Cashing Out: 4 in 10 Las Vegas Residents Want to Move
Las Vegas is a city of migrants (only 8% of residents are native), but the problem is now they want out.
Portland Getting More Attention for Storm Sewers
It’s no secret that the Pacific Northwest gets a lot of rain. What’s surprising is that Portland’s traditional storm sewer system has never been able to keep up with it. This USA Today article presents Portland’s innovative storm water systems as ecologically friendly (which they are), but it’s also a cost-saving measure.
Earth Hour Before and After Slideshow
Telegraph.co.uk has a nice collection of images of places that observed Earth Hour last weekend. Above is a picture of Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong.
San Francisco Is Least Affordable Rental Market, Florida Getting Worse
The Center for Housing Policy‘s Paycheck to Paycheck report names San Francisco as the most expensive rental market in the United States. While this is of little surprise, New York City came in at 13, while Los Angeles was tenth. As a whole, rents were much higher on the coasts than on the interior of the country.
Streetcar at the Center of Oklahoma City Downtown Redevelopment
The Transport Politic reports that Oklahoma City is including a streetcar into it’s “Core to Shore” downtown redevelopment plan. Core to Shore aims to link the central business district with the Oklahoma River. The proposed six-mile streetcar alignment would link the capitol, Amtrak station, Union Station, a new central park, and surrounding neighborhoods.