#ForewordFriday: Without Effort Edition
By Jason Leppig / On May 3rd, 2013
This week's selection for #forewordFriday comes from Charles R. Wolfe's new E-ssential, Urbanism Without Effort.
New Author Charles R. Wolfe on the Challenges and Potential of Urbanism
By Admin / On May 2nd, 2013
Charles R. Wolfe's new E-ssential tackles the idea that to create vibrant, sustainable urban areas for the long term, we must first understand “what happens naturally when people congregate in cities—-innate, unprompted interactions of urban dwellers with each other and their surrounding urban and physical environment.” In this piece in the Atlantic Cities, he expands on that premise:
#ForewordFriday: Good Urbanism Edition
By Admin / On March 8th, 2013
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!
It Is a Matter of Scale or What is the Connection between Brain Size and Sprawl
By Admin / On September 26th, 2011
Scale is fundamental to urban design. If you get it right, and achieve a well-proportioned space between buildings, you have a sound basis to build upon. Even if the architecture is far from perfect, the public realm you create can be decent and comfortable. If you get the scale wrong and your master plan is built, even the most lustrous architecture won’t remediate the failure of space-making; people might still use it for utilitarian reasons (think the parking lot of a Wal-Mart), but will not enjoy it.
Smithsonian Institution Greening Greater Washington seminar
By Admin / On September 7th, 2011
Island Press partnered with the Smithsonian Institution for a Greening Greater Washington Seminar featuring Island Press author Timothy Beatley, author of Biophilic Cities, and Christopher Leinberger, author of The Option of Urbanism.
Resilient Cities: Creating a Livable World
By Timothy Beatley / On February 25th, 2011
Watch Timothy Beatley speak on green urbanism and Biophilic Cities at the California Academy of Sciences.
Slideshow: Seven Rules for Sustainable Communities
By Admin / On February 16th, 2011
How can the design of cities address the challenge of climate change? Patrick Condon, author of Seven Rules for Sustainable Communities, presents simple guidelines for community design that can help cities flourish in the post-carbon world.
Go to the presentation
The Place-Based City
By Peter Newman / On March 2nd, 2009
The sixth Resilient City model is the Place-Based City.
Lessons from the LA Ecovillage
By Timothy Beatley / On February 6th, 2009
Two weeks ago I had the chance to visit the Los Angeles Ecovillage (LAEV), and spent time with its visionary creator Lois Arkin. The story of the LAEV is inspirational and instructive. Located 3-miles west of downtown, the Ecovillage represents a compelling model of how to begin to transform dysfunctional and unsustainable urban (and suburban) environments into real places, places with soul and meaning and commitment to community and environment.
How Do We Instill a Reverence For Place?
By Timothy Beatley / On January 16th, 2009
Perhaps because we are such Olympians at moving, at shifting and transitioning to new lives, new jobs and new houses, Americans know relatively little about the places in which they live. Much of my own work has been about the creative ideas for educating about place and region, and for deepening connections to nature and landscape. There are many possibilities, some tried, others only pondered. Part of the task I think is to make learning about community and place fun; something that you would want to do, and that would compete well with the many other life diversions available.