February 2010
23 posts
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People Move to the Suburbs for Bigger, Newer Homes →
There are lots of potential reasons a person would move to the suburbs: to get away from the traffic, to have a yard, to feel safe, better schools, etc. According to Hazel Morrow-Jones’s research at Ohio State University, the number one factor is because people want new, larger homes.
“People have told us they were not leaving the central city because of the schools; the rating they...
January 2010
32 posts
A War Brewing Between Suburbanites and Urbanites? →
There is if you believe this article in Grist. I don’t think using words like “war” and “battle” are really helping the discourse between the two groups, though. I agree that there will be more competition for federal and state dollars, and those political debates could get heated. In the end, though, I think as long as cities continue to become more lively,...
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A Conservative Argument for Mass Transit →
Despite the current political environment, I always thought mass transit support should be bipartisan. It just doesn’t make sense to support highway construction and ignore transit funding because you think transit = big government. I hope this article convinces some conservatives to change their minds.
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Accommodating Soccer in the USA →
A nice article about how public soccer fields are used around NYC. I particularly liked this part:
The subways are known as one of the great equalizers of New York, a place where executives on their way to work stand inches from those coming off the night security shift. But pick-up soccer equalizes in much the same way and with more meaningful interaction. We’ve never once played without...
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Laundromats as Community Spaces →
Maybe I should add it to my list, along with libraries, corner stores, and cafés?
Via Kottke.org.
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Barrier Streets and Community Streets
I’ve been thinking about the role of streets in defining neighborhoods. A lot of people define their neighborhood by the streets that create their boundaries. When I was living in Appleton, WI, my neighborhood was the square between Mason, Wisconsin, Richmond, and College Avenues. All of these streets have more traffic than the streets within the neighborhood (three of them with four lanes...
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Cities get rebuilt more often than you think →
By the year 2035, approximately three-quarters (75%) of the built environment will be either new or renovated.
That makes me more optimistic about my job prospects after grad school. It couldn’t get worse than right now, right?
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Ken Greenberg on the Future of Urban Planning →
I’m pretty convinced we’re in the midst of a transformation which is probably as profound as what happened immediately after the Second World War, when we got all excited about automobiles and in a sense turned our backs on cities. There are all kinds of things that are propelling this. Some of it has to do with the environment; much of it has to do with the cost of energy.
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The First Urban Decade →
Brookings may have underestimated the urban comeback. … In the midst of the worst economy since the 1930s, Washington, DC, added nearly 10,000 residents from 2008 to 2009, according to the Census Bureau. The city has gained about 28,000 people since 2000. New York City, Alexandria, Baltimore, Milwaukee, and many other cities have challenged population estimates and found unexpected new...
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The War Against Suburbia →
I’m linking to this because I don’t think I’ve read an article I’ve disagreed with more. It’s well-written, but I disagree with every presumption and statement made. Here’s a great one:
In addition, the president’s stimulus—with its $8 billion allocation for high-speed rail and proposed giant increases in mass transit—offers little to anyone who lives outside a...
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Homes with Higher Walkscores Have Higher Value →
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Architecture for Humanity →
I hadn’t heard of this organization before, but it sounds like they could be very useful once the immediate humanitarian crisis in Haiti turns into a longer-term rebuilding effort.
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Wisconsin Is Confident About High Speed Rail
Maybe too confident? It’s true that Governor Doyle and the state have been downright aggressive in pursuing high-speed rail. But an article in the Milwaukee Business Journal says:
The state Department of Transportation’s railroad bureau is so confident that its high-speed rail application, submitted to the Federal Railroad Administration last summer, will be approved in the first quarter...
WatchCool timelapse video of NYC during moonrise and sunrise.
Video by Tom Coates via Kottke.
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Prefabs Are Not the Answer
At least not right now or anytime soon. From Inhabitat:
According to founder Steve Glen, the wood–framed models (which are preferable in cold weather) are 30% less expensive than the steel-framed versions. That means you can have a 1,700 square-foot, two-story home for $392,000 or upgrade to a 3,100 square-foot home for $698,000.
Why are they even offering a 3,100 square foot version? What...
“All indications are that cul-de-sacs are less safe than pre-war neighborhoods...”
– Via Fast Company.
New Town for 1,000,000 People to Be Built in China →
I don’t think this is particularly rare in China, but I still can’t imagine designing a city where there is none and have its target population be in seven digits.
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