Infrastructure

To substantiate their big budgets, big projects promise big results. But the inherent time, complexity, and deal-making required to complete such projects is fertile ground for incompetence and corruption; or isn't it? A new study investigates.

September 18, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

At a forum held this week, Boston mayoral candidates demonstrated their fluency in the language of transportation alternatives and livable communities. But ideas for meaningful policy changes were largely missing, says Boston Streets.

September 18, 2013 - Boston Streets

Can your city afford not to install protected bike lanes? Michael Andersen previews a coming report from the bike lane advocacy organization Green Lane Project and the Alliance for Biking and Walking that shows how such lanes help local businesses.

September 18, 2013 - Green Lane Project

Vienna's two-decade-old quest to better balance access to city resources for men and women - called gender mainstreaming - has resulted in more than sixty pilot projects that are reshaping the Austrian capital.

September 17, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

While the alternative outlined in a long-awaited U.S. Army Corps of Engineers feasibility study envisions a major reshaping of an 11-mile stretch of the L.A. River, the recommendation falls far short of what local leaders and activists had preferred.

September 16, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

The Federal Highway Administration's recent support for the use of an ITE/CNU authored walkable urban thoroughfares guide as a companion to the widely used AASHTO "Green Book" gives local transportation engineers more tools to create livable streets.

September 16, 2013 - DC.Streetsblog

Sydney's public transport system has long been criticised for its scant network, aging infrastructure and long journey times. Nicole Hasham reviews whether a new route through the city's northern beach-side suburbs will address these issues.

September 15, 2013 - Sydney Morning Herald

America’s water infrastructure is behind the times. With over 240,000 water main breaks annually, and only 3.8% of wastewater being reused, the country’s water systems scored a D from the American Society of Civil Engineers on its 2013 report card.

September 15, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

From permeable paving to green roofs, a number of cost-effective and sustainable strategies have emerged for managing water closer to where it falls, rather than directing it into pipes. SPUR explains 8 promising tools for managing stormwater.

September 14, 2013 - SPUR Blog

After a year of closed-door negotiations, the Twins and Hennepin County have reached agreement on a plan to transform the rail hub being built adjacent to the team's new ballpark into an engine for revitalizing the surrounding neighborhood.

September 13, 2013 - Star Tribune

Want to encourage city leaders to hop on the biking bandwagon and expand cycling infrastructure where you live, but don't know where to start? Kristin Smith lays out four key steps for joining the "pedal-powered, green lane movement".

September 13, 2013 - Good

A pilot program operated by New York's DOT will gather data from 500 city motorists' vehicles in order to find problematic city streets and help drivers reduce their gas use and increase their safety.

September 12, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

A new study from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization found that the 1.3 billion tons of food wasted every year make it one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions.

September 12, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

New Orleans is planning a novel approach to managing the city's perpetual threat of floods. Instead of trying to prevent and pump out every last drop, the city will slow and store stormwater under a 50-year, $6.2 billion program of retrofits.

September 11, 2013 - Grist

PlanIT Valley, Masdar City, Songdo - the names of these bold visions elicit past promises of a smart and sustainable future. Eric Jaffe rounds up the latest news on the progress of the world's new urban utopias.

September 11, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

David W. Dunlap recounts how the slurry wall built around the World Trade Center's foundations prevented the devastation to Lower Manhattan from becoming much worse, and "became a symbol of resilience in the months and years after the attack."

September 11, 2013 - The New York Times

As part of its ongoing series on "Reimagining Infrastructure", Orion Magazine features five projects that show how a new generation of infrastructure projects are creatively integrating form with function to create community amenities.

September 10, 2013 - Orion Magazine

With their unhealthy environments, unsustainability, and relatively poor return on investment, "the suburbs" are an easy target for criticism. But suburbs aren't inherently inadequate, says David Levinson, they suffer from poor postwar urban design.

September 10, 2013 - Streets MN

The candidates competing to emerge from today's mayoral primary confront a host of challenges that threaten the quality of life in the Big Apple. Five experts identify the issues they believe are key to improving the city's livability.

September 10, 2013 - The New York Times

With increasing fares, delays and an "awful" service on Sundays, the British Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin isn't the only commuter unhappy with the service and admits that the expediency of HS2 was exaggerated.

September 9, 2013 - The Telegraph