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May 5, 2023 | 2:35 pm

CARZILLA: Are huge SUVs & trucks hurting pedestrians and walkable communities?

Kaid-Benfield

I’ve become obsessed with the size of personal vehicles, and I’m pretty sure it’s driving my wife crazy.  Every time we take a walk, run an errand, or find ourselves in a parking facility, I can’t help myself from commenting constantly about the enormous size of many newer cars, trucks, and especially SUVs compared to any older ones nearby.  I worry that my obsession is getting annoying, so bear with me while I dive into the subject in some detail in an attempt to purge it from my system.

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Category Environment | Sustainability, Health, Technology, TransportationLeave a CommentTags
April 18, 2023 | 1:38 pm

Dwelling Small: Breaking down barriers to compact living

Dwelling Small
Category Planning and Design, Public Policy, Resilience, Theory and PracticeLeave a CommentTags ,
March 22, 2023 | 2:31 pm

Green Infrastructure: Let’s get spongy!

Green infrastructure encompasses a range of innovative, nature-based solutions, such as green roofs, rain gardens, permeable pavements, and bioswales. These approaches work in harmony with the environment to manage stormwater, reduce urban heat island effects, and promote biodiversity. By integrating green infrastructure into urban planning, we can make our communities more resilient, sustainable, and adaptable to the challenges of a changing climate.

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Category Environment | Sustainability, Planning and Design, Public PolicyLeave a CommentTags , , , , ,
March 19, 2023 | 12:33 pm

The Shifting Boomer Bulge: Under-appreciated impacts could make the current housing crisis worse

This is the second part of a two-part conversation with Arthur C. (Christian “Chris”) Nelson, professor emeritus of urban planning and real estate development at the University of Arizona, as well as presidential professor emeritus of city and metropolitan planning at the University of Utah. Part One is available here.

More about Dr. Nelson and a link to the paper that inspired this conversation at the bottom of this post.

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Category Aging, Demographics, Public PolicyLeave a CommentTags , ,
March 7, 2023 | 3:47 pm

The Shifting Boomer Bulge: More bad news for America’s housing crisis?

This is the first part of a two-part conversation with Arthur C. (Christian “Chris”) Nelson, professor emeritus of urban planning and real estate development at the University of Arizona, as well as presidential professor emeritus of city and metropolitan planning at the University of Utah. Part Two is available here.

More about Dr. Nelson and a link to the paper that inspired this conversation at the bottom of this post.

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Category Aging, Demographics, Public PolicyLeave a CommentTags , ,
October 20, 2020 | 12:01 am

Pandemic Toolkit: Actions for rebuilding health and opportunity

In the seven months since I blogged last, many of us have turned our attention to cataloguing and collecting planning practices of how cities, towns and suburbs are responding to COVID-19 in an attempt to rebuild health and opportunity. Thanks to those of you who contributed to the PlaceMakers Pandemic Response Compendium, currently cataloguing 38 pandemic interventions. From this ongoing crowd-sourced document, we extracted a Pandemic Toolkit of the first 22 actions governments should take to get the economy restarted while protecting public health.

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Category Community Development, Development, Economic Development, Environment | Sustainability, Health, Resilience1 CommentTags ,
September 8, 2020 | 8:00 am

A Pirate Looks at . . . Seventy? (Reflections on a Long Career, with Six Essentials for Greener, Healthier Communities)

Kaid-Benfield

Most people who know my work expect the writing I do in this space, as well as my speaking, to focus on what we should be doing to create and sustain greener, healthier communities. Don’t worry, that’s eventually where this particular piece of writing is going. I can’t help myself when it comes to that subject. But I’m not going to start there: allow me to self-indulge my way around a few personal detours first. I’ll try to make them entertaining.

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Category Aging, Environment | Sustainability, HealthLeave a CommentTags , ,
June 4, 2020 | 2:24 pm

Climate Adaptation: A weather report

This is a case study of the application of Scott’s argument that will be presented at the upcoming virtual Congress, CNU28, during the Wednesday, June 10, 2:30pm EDT session, New Tools for Urban Resilience, as well as part of our ongoing series in support of urbanist COVID-19 policy discussions.

Among the lessons the COVID-19 crisis and the protests of the death of George Floyd have hammered home are those connected with, first of all, recognizing vulnerabilities, then having a plan to overcome them before the threats are upon us. We’d be wasting this unwelcome opportunity if we didn’t apply what we’ve learned to building resilience capacities in the face of climate change. The current crises are emphasizing how essential it is to plot a path for adaptation after a disturbance, stress, or adversity. Continue Reading

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