Infrastructure

In the first of a new series of articles tackling urban livelihoods, Caroline Skinner explains why the informal workforce matters, and offers six strategies for developing more inclusive urban planning processes.

October 24, 2012 - The Global Urbanist

With the portion of American's living in cities set to rise to 90 percent by 2050, a new set of accessibility issues will confront the nation's disabled and aging. Metropolis invited 7 teams of designers to develop solutions to meet this challenge.

October 24, 2012 - Metropolis

You read that right, Sweden's trash problem is that it doesn't have enough of it. Due to a spectacularly successful rate of recycling, the country doesn't have enough garbage to power its waste-to-energy program. It's solution: import trash.

October 24, 2012 - Fast Company Co.Exist

National Journal engaged several experts on the state of transportation infrastructure. Both Ken Orski and Rep. Earl Blumenhauer examine different aspects of the 'Infrastructure Deficit". What can we expect to see in the next four years?

October 24, 2012 - National Journal

Although "two of the hottest buzzwords in urban planning" - resilience and sustainability - are often used interchangeably, in many cases they actually work against each other. David Biello examines why both are crucial for the future of our cities.

October 23, 2012 - Slate

Emily Badger discusses new research showing that dedicated bike infrastructure has a demonstrated impact on reducing the risk of injury for cyclists.

October 23, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Taking advantage of low borrowing costs, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced this week that New York City will spend up to $1 billion on “critical” infrastructure, including bridges, roads, schools and libraries over the next 20 months.

October 20, 2012 - Bloomberg

Is the idea of "farming up" really taking off? Vertical farming could yield long-term environmental benefits, but still faces many obstacles.

October 18, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

Without the wealth for recycling, Indian cities like Bangalore rely on informal traders to collect and sell recyclable materials. Could this tech hub provide a model of trash disposal for cities in the developing and developed world alike?

October 17, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

A New York state law on the books since the 1980s undervalues property tax rates on multimillion dollar residential buildings, providing astonishing discounts to New York City’s wealthiest homeowners.

October 16, 2012 - The New York Times

Along a nondescript street in Chicago's gritty West Side, a 1.5-mile stretch of a "historic, industrial artery" has been given a futuristic makeover as the greenest street in the country, and perhaps the world, reports Lori Rotenberk.

October 15, 2012 - Grist

SPUR, the San Francisco-based planing think tank, looks at the potential benefits to the public sector of using dynamic, demand-based pricing to manage limited public resources - from parking to electricity.

October 15, 2012 - SPUR

With the expansion of the Panama Canal expected to be complete in 2015, U.S. Port Cities are uniquely positioned to reap economic benefits of increased industrial activity.

October 12, 2012 - ICIC

Kelly Smith looks at a host of technologies - from thermoplastics to video sensing systems - that local leaders in Minnesota are hoping can make crosswalks safer for pedestrians amid rising incidences of fatalities.

October 10, 2012 - Star Tribune

Chicago is seeking funding for a $100 million build-out of the Chicago River riverwalk stretching from State to Lake streets. The City hopes to build another popular destination like Millennium Park.

October 8, 2012 - Chicago Tribune

A new report by the transportation research group TRIP documents the status, safety impacts, and costs of Texas' growing infrastructure crisis.

October 5, 2012 - Streetsblog D.C.

For Ken Greenberg, it's clear Toronto is "going through a metamorphosis of extraordinary proportions," comparable to the development of New York in the mid-20th century. He examines how the city must prepare for an unprecedented scale of development.

October 4, 2012 - The Globe and Mail

Conflicting opinions have arisen over the use of red-light cameras. But, new evidence may finally put an end to arguments over whether they actually improve safety, or are only effective in increasing revenues.

October 4, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Alex Steffen, a "leading voice in planetary futurism," muses on what he believes could be a way to move beyond NIMBYism and incremental urban planning, to provide an antidote to fundamentally broken city governance.

October 2, 2012 - Planetary Thinking

As the level of sophistication in cycling infrastructure increases, the value of networks becomes even more apparent.

October 1, 2012 - PlaceShakers