From the category archives:
In my opinion and the experience I’ve had as a City Engineer, roads in general are a blessing – but Cul de Sacs are a curse. And I’m not just talking about the planning aspects in terms of traffic circulations and the creation of neighbourhood identities, but on the cost of providing services to these [...]
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There is a rainfall warning on for today with 40-50mm of rain forecast in the next 24 hours. There is a modest amount of snow on the ground here in Castlegar, more up in Rossland, so there would be some snow melt occurring as well.
If it comes, this is probably the biggest daily rainfall we [...]
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For a leisure activity/sport that underwent such a massive rise in popularity across Western countries over the past 20 years, the current financial situation has slammed the brakes on new projects, and seen a slump in memberships and appetite for golf course properties.
New residential golf developments in the U.S. are few and far between, leading [...]
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The rise and fall of the automobile has had some sad consequences, and this is just the beginning.
All told, 51 lots went into foreclosure. Now the 28-acre Hidden Ridge subdivision really is a mirage. It’s got new lamp posts lining freshly paved cul-de-sacs. But no homes, only weeds and cockeyed, rusting for-sale signs.
“They won’t sell [...]
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The wholesale transformation of viable food-producing lands into Prozac’d suburban sprawl and coma-inducing Cul de Sacs is short-sighted, greedy, and may one day be regarded as a criminal act against the environment and humanity.
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The big picture just doesn’t register with some executives. Sprawl is bad for the planet and bad for humans, particularly in light of Peak Oil. Here is the justification for further suburban development in Melbourne, Australia.
Death knell sounded for Aussie suburbs | NEWS.com.au
Victoria’s housing estate developers are represented by the Urban Development Institute (UDI) of [...]
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A recent article in the Globe and Mail points out a real planning issue for our times…
The suburbs weren’t built for grandmas – and that’s a planning problem for sprawling cities, experts say, when one in five Canadians will be old enough to be a grandparent by 2021.
globeandmail.com: The aging problem of suburbia
With infrastructure built for a driving population, elderly people just won’t get out of their homes as much, and will rely on others to come to them, for food, cleaning, medical assistance and every other type of product or service.
Are the suburbs and our existing housing stock really up to providing this sort of service? One elderly person quoted in the article says,
It takes her an hour door-to-door to travel by bus for a bag of milk, but the buses lower their doors, and she says the drivers are always thoughtful. Once a month, she gets a ride to the grocery store, and twice a month, a housecleaner handles the bigger chores. Her children, who live out of town, take good care of her. The library drops off book orders at her apartment building, an endeavour she helps organize. She belongs to a seniors club and a theatre group that takes in matinees.
Some of my thoughts on the matter…
What would you need in your suburb if you couldn’t drive anymore?
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The Smart Growth Manual
by Mike Thomas on November 4, 2009
in Design, Development, Housing, Regulation, Subdivision Design, Sustainability, Urban Planning
Smart Growth is slowly being recognized as having benefits outside of the usual talk of walkable neighbourhoods and streetscapes. This book, The Smart Growth Manual runs through the principles from the Regional context, the Neighbourhood, the Street, down to the Building design. If you are interested in New Urbanism, this is a book worth checking [...]
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