The way we build cities can have significant impacts on public health and equity.
In an article in Colorado Newsline, Julia Perbohner calls attention to an “often overshadowed” tool in the fight against climate change: urban design.
Proper urban planning can act as both a shield and sword against climate change, mitigating its effects while adapting to its challenges. The potency of urban green spaces in providing essential ecosystem services — from regulating urban temperatures and water flows to tempering environmental extremes — cannot be emphasized enough.
Perbohner explains that “By integrating thermoregulation elements, such as pergolas, shade-providing trees, and light-colored pavements, we can combat the menacing urban heat island effect.” The way cities are built can reduce the impacts of heat, direct stormwater runoff more efficiently, and improve air quality and public health.
The article notes that policymakers must not be blind to potential displacement. “Yet, as we march towards this sustainable design utopia, a critical watchword must be equity. The beauty of design lies in its universality; it should uplift, not displace.”
FULL STORY: The power of design in sustainable, equitable solutions
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research