Planners and urban designers have reached a consensus about what constitutes "good urbanism;" however, there remains a yawning gap between this theory and reality. In this week's #forewordFriday selection, Nan Ellin's new book, Good Urbanism: Six Steps to Creating Prosperous Places, provides a plan for bridging this gap.
Enjoy!
This week's #ForewordFriday excerpt comes from Reshaping Metropolitan America, by Arthur C. Nelson.
What do you think cities will look like in ten years? What about in fifteen years? Nelson asserts that most of the buildings that will be standing then don't even exist yet.
First, there were droughts this summer; then Hurricane Sandy; and a week after that, there was a snowstorm in the northeast. It seems we just can't catch a break from Mother Nature.
The environmental justice movement is closely tied to urban planning and development. But, while planners and urban designers have made great strides in embracing the sustainability movement, social justice issues have not been getting the same attention. Of the three "e"s of sustainable planning—environment, economics, and equity—equity is the one most often left behind.
When we think of green building, we tend to picture new construction. But Robert A. Young argues that the greenest building is often the one that has already been built.
Jump into this week's #forewordFriday for a much-overlooked aspect of sustainable green building.
Love cities? Then we've got a deal for you! Get over to any e-book retailer and pick up our second E-ssential, Bedside Essays for Lovers (of Cities), by Daniel Solomon.
The E-ssentials are short enough to be read in a couple of hours, yet long enough to illuminate complex topics.
And best of all, they're easy on the wallet ($3.99)!
Start here and learn something over the weekend.
Can beauty save the planet? Yes, if we are as smart about how things look as we are about how they work, believes architect and designer Lance Hosey, author of The Shape of Green.