franny.ritchie
Franny Ritchie is a Watershed Conservation Educator for the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania.
Contributed 82 posts
Franny Ritchie graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 2005 and recently completed a master’s degree in environmental history, with a concentration in the history of urban planning, from the University at Albany. She became interested in questions of urban space and sustainability while teaching at Phillips Academy, Andover in 2005 and was part of a committee to bring a sustainability coordinator to the school, an interest she carried with her into graduate school. Currently she is working as a Watershed Conservation Educator for the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, a Student Conservation Agency appointment. After a one-year stint with Audubon, she plans to pursue a joint JD/MUP.
Combining Pavement and Reusable Materials to Make Urban Parks
Allison Arieff argues that cities should look to reversible parks modeled on the Pavement to Parks program to prevent blight, combat the practice of land banking, and model sustainable practices.
Russia Rolls Out New High Speed Rail
Siemens has retrofitted trains for cold Russian winters; they are being rolled out now between Moscow and St. Petersburg and could be a model for American HSR.
The Highs and Lows of The Pittsburgh Marathon
The Pittsburgh Marathon was canceled for five years due to budget constraints, but a recent study shows that the 2009 race generated over $22 million in spending.
Finding Efficiency At Home, In the Trash
Solar-powered trash compactors, while not cheap, pay for themselves relatively quickly. With state and city budgets more liquid thanks to stimulus money, municipalities are snapping them up.
Rail Riders Discover that Going the Extra Mile is the Hardest Part
Many would-be train riders are frustrated by poor transit options at their destination city.