Singapore has built a huge, eco-friendly "Supertree Grove," made up of unique tree-shaped structures, up to 16 stories high, that collect rain and solar energy, absorb heat and provide shade to visitors and residents. The city is so green-focused that it's committed to zero waste in landfills by the middle of this century, and it was also the first to introduce the congestion charge. Traffic can get so bad that the city introduced a network of real-time cameras, sensors and GPS to track traffic and predict where jams will be, charging drivers more in that area. But don't think that Singapore has forgotten about pedestrians -- the disabled and elderly are given smart RFID (radio-frequency identification) cards which extend crossing times at traffic lights.
Covington, Georgia, decided not to let a half-completed development sit empty. But the city's solution has been both praised and vilified by observers.
COVINGTON, Ga.—There are hundreds of stories of failed subdivisions left empty by the housing bust, where homeowners are stuck staring into vacant lots of PVC pipes and weeds. There are very few stories where a half-finished development has been saved from ruin. The rescue of one such development, by the city in which it is located, is being heralded as a potential solution to some of the worst mistakes of the housing crisis. The local newspaper, the Covington News, praised the project, writing that “a community has been brought back from the dead.” That Covington, a city 35 miles east of Atlanta, did anything at all is unusual, said Ellen Dunham-Jones, an architect and urban-design professor at Georgia Tech who has a chapter on the subdivision, Walker’s Bend, in a forthcoming book, Retrofitting Sprawl.
Session #1: Thursday, January 22, 2015, 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm Session #2: Thursday, February 12, 2015, 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm
CMAP, 233 South Wacker Drive, Suite 800, Chicago IL
Bruce Bondy of Bondy Studio, Northbrook, IL, is an Architectural Illustrator with over 25 years experience. He specializes in freehand drawing and rendering techniques. Bruce specializes in charrette drawing, working alongside clients to help develop design ideas into presentation sketches and renderings. This two-session workshop is designed to help planners and emerging designers develop and communicate their ideas comfortably and effectively using freehand drawing skills. This will be a very hands-on workshop. Participants will be drawing in various exercises with immediate coaching feedback from Bruce. Seating will be limited to 25 participants per session. Although not required, it is recommended that participants register for both sessions. To RSVP, please email cms@ilapa.org by January 20th.
CMS Annual Networking and Mentoring Event, February 2015
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Community Festival Impact for St. Charles, IL, Amy Egolf, Executive Director, St. Charles Convention & Visitors Bureau and Lynne Schwartz, Executive Director, Downtown St. Charles Partnership
May 8, 2012: Community Involvement and Advocacy for Planners or “Tell me again – Why did I volunteer for this???”
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Happy New Year everybody! I’m back after the holiday with a look back at the previous year here at the Urbanophile. Thanks so much for your readership and support. As I mentioned, I’m going to be dialing back my posting frequency this year. To keep up without having to keep checking back to see if I’ve posted anything new, the best way is to subscribe by email (which includes exclusive content) or subscribe by RSS for those of you like me who prefer newsreaders.
December Steve Eide uses Hollywood to explore the three ages of boss rule in American cities. These are but a few highlights. Check out the full archive of posts in my left sidebar. Again, thanks so much for reading. Have a great 2015!
Pete Pointner FAICP, ALA, ITE is publishing a new blog. A wealth of material for planners. Click to view the blog: www.petepointner.com NEED...
