Here is a collection of the information out there for complete streets:
The Complete Streets Website http://www.completestreets.org/
APA Resources, including policy inventory and best practices manual
http://www.planning.org/research/streets/
Good photos here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38607288@N03/
(ITDP-Europe)
Information on Complete Streets and the Aging
http://www.aarp.org/makeadifference/advocacy/GovernmentWatch/StrongCommunities/articles/aarp_one_minute_guide_complete_streets_act.html
http://www.planetizen.com/node/28644
Advocates of Walking and indexing tool:
http://www.walkscore.com/
SF Bay Local:
Better Streets San Francisco
http://www.sfgov.org/site/uploadedfiles/planning/Citywide/Better_Streets/proposals.htm
Oakland
Walk Oakland, Bike Oakland
http://www.walkoaklandbikeoakland.org
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Barcelona's Innovation District
Columnist Neal Peirce (Seattle Times) wrote about Barcelona as a model of urban innovation.
Barcelona turned a depressed inner-city district into a high-powered knowledge hub by utilizing an ingenious form of real-estate development. The Spanish model is quite different from America's "free enterprise" approach to redevelopment.
"Their central idea: Talent is the gold of our time, crucial to building thriving new economic clusters. Talented people (and cutting-edge firms) want lively urban environments instead of the isolation of corporate campuses. They're anxious to brush shoulders with other gifted people from companies, universities and the artistic realm."
How does it work? Refer to the article for more information.
"Each of the district's 100-square-meter blocks — rather than individual land holdings — was made the basic unit for regeneration. Once 60 percent of landowners in any one of the 115 blocks agree to act collectively, they can — as a community — increase the value of their property by getting city permission to rebuild with greater height (more stories) than allowed in the past."
Barcelona turned a depressed inner-city district into a high-powered knowledge hub by utilizing an ingenious form of real-estate development. The Spanish model is quite different from America's "free enterprise" approach to redevelopment.
"Their central idea: Talent is the gold of our time, crucial to building thriving new economic clusters. Talented people (and cutting-edge firms) want lively urban environments instead of the isolation of corporate campuses. They're anxious to brush shoulders with other gifted people from companies, universities and the artistic realm."
How does it work? Refer to the article for more information.
"Each of the district's 100-square-meter blocks — rather than individual land holdings — was made the basic unit for regeneration. Once 60 percent of landowners in any one of the 115 blocks agree to act collectively, they can — as a community — increase the value of their property by getting city permission to rebuild with greater height (more stories) than allowed in the past."
The Green City of Freiburg
AK Greenbird's has a really informative blog entry on the City of Freiburg in Germany. It is one of the greenest (policywise) cities in the world. Optional district parking for residential uses, i.e. no parking and traffic on the streets, is one of the more progressive ideas implemented in Freiburg. (Can you see Americans parking away from their houses? Just imagine!) In addition, there are some astonishing public transit images (trams amidst a field of grass) and another blog entry on innovative stormwater reuse strategies. Freiburg showcases many examples of how to implement sustainability on a large, city-wide scale.
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