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Archive for the ‘Land Use’ Category

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It’s Smart To Be Dense

Thursday, July 9th, 2015

Urban density is fundamental principle of sustainable development. Density supports economic and creative vibrancy, social integration, and a healthy, environmental sustainable development model. As the world’s population continues to urbanize, our cities have two options for growth: densify or sprawl. The private-car dependent sprawl model of the 20th century must change, and move away from a reliance on private cars, to accommodate a more populous, and more prosperous world.

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Posted in Environment, Land Use, Pollution, Public Transportation, Show Us Your Infra, Smart Growth, Sustainability, Transit, Urban Planning

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Can We Have Sustainable Transportation without Making People Drive Less or Giving up Suburban Living?

Monday, June 8th, 2015
Figure 1. Plan of Whole Town with Roads and Land Uses

ACCESS MAGAZINE
Written by Mark Delucchi and Kenneth Kurani
City planners, transportation analysts, and policymakers have struggled to reconcile the promises and problems created by suburban land use and automobiles. On the one hand, automobile use and suburban living are widely and highly valued; as people become wealthier, they tend to buy cars and live in bigger homes farther away from central cities. Many urban planners, however, blame automobiles and automobile-driven sprawl for a wide range of problems, including climate change, road fatalities and injuries, rising traffic congestion, ugly urban form, oil dependency, and increasing social fragmentation. Most approaches to these problems focus on curtailing automobile use and its impacts. Outside of densely populated cities, however, it is hard to reduce personal automobile use.

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Guest on The Infra Blog: Scott Bricker, Director, America Walks

Wednesday, April 29th, 2015
Scott Bricker, Director, America Walks

Scott Bricker has worked for over fifteen years to make communities healthy and sustainable through bicycling, walking and urban design. Scott is proud to serve as the Director of America Walks, the only national organization dedicated to improving all aspects of walking in America.

…providing safe and accommodating walking routes for people effectively ensures that everyone has equal access to services and employment, education, recreation, where people play and pray, et cetera. It’s a fundamental aspect of equal mobility access. There’s also a fair amount of research that shows that communities that are walkable, that have places that are close to each other, are economically vibrant.

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Posted in Biking, Guests on The Infra Blog, Land Use, Local, National, Policy, Public Parks & Recreation, Public Transportation, Smart Growth, Sustainability, The Infra Blog, Transit, Urban Planning

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Interactive Map: Our Energy Democracy

Tuesday, June 3rd, 2014
Center for Social Inclusion: Energy Democracy

A new interactive map from the Center for Social Inclusion illustrates projects across the country where local communities are taking a stand to improve their economic futures and fight climate change. The map, called Energy Democracy for All, highlights “over 100 projects that are rooted in communities, with a particular lens toward communities of color, who by 2042, will become the majority in our nation.”

From energy conservation in Dover to biofuel crops in Durham, these projects are a testament to the effectiveness of civic engagement across the USA. Visit energydemocracy.centerforinclusion.org to see what’s happening in your region!

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Posted in Energy, Equity, Green, Land Use, National, Sustainability, The Infra Blog

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Dallas, TX: The Better Block Celebrates Four Years Transforming Communities

Monday, May 19th, 2014

For a very long time, Streetfilms has wanted to profile Jason Roberts and the amazing work of The Better Block. It was destiny that a few weeks ago we were able to sync up to be present for the fourth anniversary of The Better Block in Oak Cliff. This temporary pedestrian plaza was adjacent to the site where they first debuted their innovative ideas to change a street.

You’ll see some of the behind-the-scenes set up and preparation. But I already know the visuals people will be talking about most is their transformation of a dangerous intersection in to a safer one using only temporary materials – especially a really inventive way of re-purposing decals as crosswalks!

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Posted in Land Use, Local, Show Us Your Infra, Transit, Urban Planning

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Infrastructure 2014: Shaping the Competitive City

Monday, April 14th, 2014
Infrastructure 2014

URBAN LAND INSTITUTE
HOW DO REAL ESTATE DEVELOPERS AND INVESTORS—who could pursue opportunities regionally, nationally, or internationally—think about infrastructure? How do city leaders use infrastructure investments to position their cities for real estate investment and economic development? What role does infrastructure play relative to other economic development strategies? And are public and private perceptions and priorities aligned—or do they diverge, and in what ways? These were the central questions for Infrastructure 2014: Shaping the Competitive City, the eighth in an annual series of reports examining infrastructure trends and issues by ULI and EY.

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Posted in Clean Air, Energy, Global, Infra Views, Land Use, Public Parks & Recreation, Public Transportation, Rail, Roads, Smart Growth, Sustainability, Transit, Urban Planning

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Measuring Sprawl

Thursday, April 10th, 2014
TABLE 1 Most compact, connected metro areas, nationally

SMART GROWTH AMERICA
Some places in the United States are sprawling out and some places are building in compact, connected ways. The difference between these two strategies affects the lives of millions of Americans.

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Autonomous Vehicle Technology: A Guide for Policymakers

Thursday, March 6th, 2014
Autonomous Vehicle Technology

RAND Corporation
Autonomous vehicle (AV) technology offers the possibility of fundamentally changing transportation. Equipping cars and light vehicles with this technology will likely reduce crashes, energy consumption, and pollution—and reduce the costs of congestion.

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Posted in Highway, Infra Views, Land Use, Roads

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This Infra Week

Friday, February 28th, 2014
NYCDOT

INFRA STORIES YOU SHOULDN’T MISS!
The Passengers Are Up and Running, But Are the Trains?
Move Over Venice, Kirkland Gets in the Gondola Game
South Carolina’s Legare Bridge Gets Pedestrian/Cyclist Friendly
Could Congress Find Common Ground On Complete Streets?
Coulda Wouda Shouda: The HSR Edition
Nashville is Growing, But is its Transit System?

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Posted in High Speed Rail, Infra Week, Land Use, Public Transportation, Rail, The Infra Blog, Transit, Urban Planning

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Interactive Infographic: 100% Renewable Energy Benefits in the 50 States

Tuesday, February 25th, 2014
The Solutions Project: 50 Plans, 50 States

This interactive infographic from The Solutions Project gives you a glimpse into the future of renewable energy. By analyzing each state’s renewable-energy potential, The Solutions Project was able to predict which types of renewable energy could contribute to meeting each state’s energy needs, in a future where fossil fuels and nuclear power are no longer options. Each state’s profile includes additional effects of switching to renewables, like reduced mortality and illness costs, and the percentage of land needed for wind, water and solar projects.

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