The cost of sprawl

"Sprawl Costs the Public More Than Twice as Much as Compact Development - How much more does it cost the public to build infrastructure and provide services for sprawling development compared to more compact neighborhoods? A lot more, according to this handy summary from the Canadian environmental think tank Sustainable Prosperity."

from: http://usa.streetsblog.org/2015/03/05/sprawl-costs-the-public-more-than-twice-as-much-as-compact-development/

Bike lanes in Victoria

"Construction has started on the city's first two-way protected bike lane on Pandora Avenue in the city's downtown. While the lane itself is only a few blocks long, it's part of a larger plan dubbed Biketoria that aims to vastly improve cycling infrastructure in the Vancouver Island city. "The whole Biketoria network of corridors is transformational for the city of Victoria," said Brad Dellebuur with the city's engineering department. "It is going to fundamentally change how you move around in the city."



from: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/victoria-breaks-ground-on-first-protected-bike-lane-1.3794968

Science!

"$22.7M to support research in building resilient, interdependent systems able to withstand disasters."

from: https://nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=189956&org=NSF&from=news

Transit your way

Apple and Google Maps aren't perfect, "which leaves room for competitors to fill in the various gaps. One such competitor is the small team behind a popular public transit app called, a bit dryly, Transit App. In their bid to create a fully functional map that would include every transit mode in a city without sacrificing aesthetics, the Montreal-based company of just 17* developers, designers, and cartographers are taking the two tech giants head on. “Google Maps and Apple Maps have tried to do it, but we thought we could do better.”



from: http://www.citylab.com/design/2016/08/the-transit-app-trying-to-beat-google-and-apple-at-mobile-mapping/493421/

"A transit map is much more than a list of stations. It’s the underlying anatomy of your city. It shows how people move, how neighbourhoods are connected, and how your craziest city adventures begin."



from: https://medium.com/transit-app/transit-maps-apple-vs-google-vs-us-cb3d7cd2c362#.xa27pzg3u

Vancouver's new planner

"Vancouver, which is beset by high anxiety over homelessness, growth, development and the soaring price of housing, is in a prime position to reset itself, says the city’s new chief planner. “There’s a moment of ripeness to ask the big questions and make some big moves,” said Gil Kelley, who was recruited from San Francisco to head up the city’s beleaguered planning department. “It’s a time to look at where is the city heading in the long term.” He said Vancouver is suffering from a bewildering dilemma that has become common among attractive 21st-century cities: The better it becomes, the worse it is for some residents."



“Vancouver is iconic physically, but it has also been willing to strike out ahead and be a global model,” Mr. Kelley said, explaining that was one of the reasons he was willing to leave San Francisco and come to Vancouver. “I wasn’t sure I wanted to take this position when they first called, but I was seduced by the moment Vancouver’s in.” He praised the big shift the city made in the late 1980s and early 90s as planners helped create a new model of urban living downtown. But, he said, the city needs to have a collective conversation about where to go next – not a comprehensive rezoning and development plan, as some have suggested, but a vision for the future."

from: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/vancouvers-new-chief-planner-says-city-is-ripe-for-change/article32254131/

Great Neighbourhoods

The APA has chosen its 15 communities in its 2016 list of Great Places in America.

"Characteristics of a Great Neighborhood include:

1. Has a variety of functional attributes that contribute to a resident's day-to-day living (i.e. residential, commercial, or mixed-uses).
2. Accommodates multi-modal transportation (i.e. pedestrians, bicyclists, drivers).
3. Has design and architectural features that are visually interesting.
4. Encourages human contact and social activities.
5. Promotes community involvement and maintains a secure environment. 
6. Promotes sustainability and responds to climatic demands.
7. Has a memorable character."

from: https://www.planning.org/greatplaces/neighborhoods/characteristics.htm

Need to learn 3D modeling?

Need to learn 3D modeling?

"SketchUp is one the most popular and easy-to-learn 3D modeling programs available, and it's a great tool for planners and urban designers. This course provides an introduction to how planners and architects represent three-dimensional objects with step-by-step instructions for creating and using simple 3D models."



from: https://courses.planetizen.com/course/sketchup-2016-intro/1#