Recent Headlines
News archives
Thursday car-free
Posted 17 September,
2000 by Chris DeWolf - Back to the top
This coming Thursday is Car-Free Day in Boston. As
the Boston Globe
reports, cyclists will take to the streets that day to advocate clean alternatives to
driving into work as well as more cyclist rights. The event is small in comparison to its
European cousins, however, where cities officially ban auto traffic from the city centre
during that day. For more information how to be car-free in Boston, check out the book Car-Free in
Boston, to be published this November. Also be sure to check out carfree.com or car-free.com.
/ Chris Szabla pointed readers of the Urban
Discussion List towards a virtual tour
of Hartford, CT neighbourhoods. Check it out.
Atlanta the damned
Posted 15 September,
2000 by Chris DeWolf - Back to the top
Last night a copy of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution found its way to my desk.
Dated September 5th, the front headline noted: "Jacksonville's Pitch: Don't turn us
into Atlanta". Intrigued, I read on: "Jacksonville's mayor sits high and comfy
in the SUV and stares into the camera: 'There's a word for a city that doesn't plan for
its future: Atlanta'". That was what John Delaney said in a Jacksonville, FL ad
promoting his smart-growth plan. It has sparked a controversy in Atlanta. Unfortunately,
the original article isn't available online, but the backlash is: reader's
letters, smug
columns and more
letters. Just how bad is sprawl and traffic in Atlanta? According to
the Atlanta Business Journal, it's just a byproduct of a healthy economy. According to
the book Moving Beyond Sprawl, however, it's something that could ruin the city. Read the book online.
Suburbia rethought
Posted 14 September,
2000 by Chris DeWolf - Back to the top
Over the summer, the Sprawl Watch Clearinghouse held a study semester and
competition that focuses on revitalising middle-aged suburbia. The program, based in the
District of Columbia suburbs known as the Silver Spring Triangle, encouraged students to
think of ways to make existing suburbs more lively, diverse places. Read
more about it. / Also mentioned in the Sprawl Watch newsletter is the new Fall 2000 Sprawl Report from the Sierra Club. The report focuses on good and bad
developments throughout the United States. / The New York
Times reports today on an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that
chronicles the city's rise. Check it out. / What do
you think of the European fuel crises? Should governments slash fuel taxes as striking
truckers are demanding, or should they be kept at current levels? Discuss this and more on
the Urban Discussion List.
Shop streamlined
Posted 13 September,
2000 by Chris DeWolf - Back to the top
The UPP Shop has been
streamlined and more content added. I've taken out the unpopular shirts, mousepads and
mugs, and am focusing on print literature instead (I'm also considering offering magazine
subscriptions). A few new titles have been added -
expect at least weekly additions from now on - and for the first time, my Canadian
visitors are now able to pay for books with Canadian funds, thanks to Chapters.ca. Some of Chapters' prices are great, too;
City Life, for instance (our most popular book), is only $8 Canadian, compared to
$9.60 US at Amazon.com. That's a good deal for both
Canadians and Americans, so check it out!
NAHB report
Posted 12 September,
2000 by Chris DeWolf - Back to the top
A report from the American National Association of Home Builders predicts that future
development will be denser. The report also includes a history of housing styles in the
United States, in 1900, 1950 and 2000. You can read the report here (you must have Adobe Acrobat Viewer to view) On the issue of sprawl and
greater density, the Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch
ran a short series of articles on sprawl and suburban growth in the Virginia capital area
today. Road to where?
looks at increasing congestion in the growing Eastern city, and Development outruns roads
focuses on the road crunch that outward-sprawling development brings. / A
column by renowned Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki appeared in today's issue of
the Toronto-based Globe and Mail. It
encourages Canadians to take a closer look at how rising gas prices affect the way we
live, and scolds us for being so dependent on our automobiles.
Land conservation
Posted 9 September, 2000
by Chris DeWolf - Back to the top
The Minnesota Star-Tribune ran an editorial
today urging the American Congress to resist temptation to postpone an act that would
reinvest in land conservation. The act would pump money into urban park renewal, historic
preservation and environmental preservation. / An interesting
column from last week in the Washington Post: it explores the changing demographics of
the District of Columbia, which is again seeing an influx of monied whites. / This month,
downtown Los Angeles hosts an international conference of downtown associations.
Currently, downtown LA falls under the jurisdiction of the Downtown Centre Business Improvement District, like
similar BID/Main Street projects across the US and the BRZs in Canada.
Charleston going
ugly?
Posted 8 September, 2000
by Chris DeWolf - Back to the top
Historic preservationists in Charleston, South
Carolina are up in arms about several new buildings constructed in that city's historic
core. As the Charleston Post and
Courier reports, these buildings exceed the city's designated height limit of 50 feet
due to "awful" electrical equipment on the roof. What do you think of this
issue? Sign up to the Urban Discussion List
and voice your opinion (thanks to Hester Jones for pointing this story out). / In the October issue of Mother Jones magazine is an article detailing the
razing of New Haven, CT's Oak Street neighbourhood. A good, balanced article; I suggest
you pick up a copy at your local newsstand.
September update
Posted 5 September, 2000
by Chris DeWolf - Back to the top
The September update is up and running. There's a new
Feature of the Month, by skyscraperpage.com
webmaster Dylan Leblanc. Third in our ongoing New Urbanism series, it details the infill
Selkirk Waterfront project in Victoria, BC. The September issue of Urbanite was
mailed as well; included was an HTML version of the magazine, which will be available for
public viewing when the October issue mails. Or, you can subscribe now and visit the archives to see this issue! /
Did you know Orlando, Florida, one of the poster children for suburban sprawl, has a
downtown area? And a reasonably pleasant one to boot? Well, it does! Check out the Downtown Orlando Partnership's
website.
FFWD
Posted 2 September, 2000
by Chris DeWolf - Back to the top
FFWD is
one of Calgary's two alternative weekly newspapers, and it does an excellent job at
scanning news, art and entertainment in the Calgary area. There are some urban highlights
to be found in its recent archives; one excellent article
covered the rise of the Victoria Crossing Business Revitalisation Zone (BRZ), which is
helping turn the underdog Victoria Park neighbourhood into a great urban destination. One
of the BRZ's immediate projects is the beautification of First Street SW, a commercial
"main street" for the area. Last time I checked, sidewalks were being widened
and trees planted. Check out the BRZ's official
site. Another
article in the same issue covers the city's collection of BRZs, from Kensington to
Bowness to Marda Loop. In this
article, Calgarians protest changes made to many city parks. In this depressing story,
the city annouced it won't save the Grand Lougheed building (see the "Save the Lougheed!" link above). An interesting article
by David Suzuki explains why he bought a hybrid car, despite being an advocate for a
car-free society.
Edmonton is
sprawling
Posted 1 September, 2000
by Chris DeWolf - Back to the top
The Sierra Club of Canada has put together an interesting page on suburban
sprawl in Edmonton, the capital of Alberta. Most Canadian cities - despite a higher
density and higher transit usage than their American counterparts - have serious sprawl
issues that have gone largely unnoticed when compared to the coverage sprawl is getting in
the American media. Also of interest is Sustainable Calgary,
advocating environmentally and socially responsible growth in Edmonton's sprawling
southern twin. / I'd like to remind you all that Urbanite will be mailing this
coming Tuesday. This issue will include a nifty HTML version, complete with a
user-friendly format and many photos. Only subscribers can recieve the magazine, so sign up now! There will also be a new Feature of the Month this Tuesday as well, part three of the New
Urbanism in Practice series.
Philly falling down
Posted 29 August, 2000
by Chris DeWolf - Back to the top
Wayne Lorentz of Glass, Steel and Stone
brought a recent issue in Philadelphia to my attention: the city is falling apart! In the
past week, an astonishing twenty-two buildings have collapsed in the city, leaving
already-blighted neighbourhoods with even more vacant lots, as well as being a threat to
the public (read the news story).
Normally, only twenty buildings fall in Philly per year - so why the yearly average in one
week alone? The
Inquirer tackles the question, blaming William Penn and former mayor Frank Rizzo. Read
the story for details. / Speaking of Philadelphia, take a look at some of these photo
sites. LibertyNet offers some interesting
photographs that are well worth a look;About.com also offers some photographs.
