By Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman Working up to New Year’s resolutions, Walk Score has released their official 2014 ranking of Most Walkable Cities and Neighborhoods. Checking a neighborhood’s Walk Score has been a handy tool for transplants everywhere – ratings from 1 to 100 can give you a quick overview of a house or apartment’s proximity to … Read more
In November 2012, architect George Ferguson CBE PPRIBA RWA became the first independent mayor to lead a major city in Britain. He has a bold and innovative vision for his city, and a passion to make Bristol healthy and livable for all. George Ferguson is past President of the Royal Institute of British Architects. He … Read more
Unesco has a negative opinion of the proposed skyscrapers such as Triangle Tower in Paris, as the French capital is "one of the few horizontal cities that have been preserved," said the Deputy Director-General of Unesco for Culture, Francesco Bandarin. "If Paris wishes to be considered as a city with historical value and a … Read more
Finally, talks are beginning on moving the 15-story cruise ships away from Venice’s Piazza San Marco and out of the shallow waters of the lagoon. These floating behemoths loom over Basilica San Marco, giving passengers a sense that Venice, “La Serenissima” is a Lilliputian city spread out for their pleasure. Meanwhile, the draft below water … Read more
By Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman I’ll sing it until I’m blue in the face, but public space is one of the most crucial components of an urban environment. Not only is it a huge percentage of any city, but more importantly it’s public. And that includes the sidewalks, parks, plazas, and streets – all (or most) technically … Read more
Sherford is a new market town to be built near Plymouth in Devon, England on principles of true urbanism. The traditional Wiltshire market town of Marlborough inspires the design, with its Georgian-style shop/houses lining the high street. Plans paint a picture of a lively community where all trips can be made on foot. On … Read more
By Suzanne H. Crowhurst Lennard, Ph.D.(Arch.) In 1993 The Prince laid the founding stones for the 400-acre Poundbury development at Dorchester. This new “urban village” eschews modernist planning principles and auto-dependent suburban housing in favor of a diverse, walkable mixed-use traditional model. Now half complete, it is possible to evaluate how well the original goals … Read more
Shannon McElvaney is the Global Industry Manager of Community Development at Esri, a sponsor of the recent 50th International Making Cities Livable Conference. Shannon is also the author of GeoDesign: Case Studies in Urban and Regional Planning. 1. What is Esri, and how have Esri’s tools been applied to making cities more healthy and livable? Esri is … Read more
One thing many people notice when they come to Portland is that unlike many other large cities, there is a distinct lack of large public murals downtown. Public art brings vitality to the city, and thanks to Forest for the Trees NW, there's a lot more of it in Portland. Over the course of six … Read more
Tim Smith is a Principal of Urban Design and Planning at Sera Architects in Portland, Oregon. For the past twenty years he has developed the framework of Civic Ecology and has been a proponent of sustainable cities everywhere. For more information about the process you can hear Tim speaking at Tedx ConcordiaUPortland and watch a … Read more