Vancouver's first alley or "laneway" house.Photo: Krista JahnkeCross-posted from Sightline Daily. There's an alley renaissance going on around the world. It was born of a renewed love for urbanity that came along with the droves of young, artistic types shunning the 'burbs and repopulating North America's inner cities. They brought with them a desire to turn what have traditionally been neglected and ugly inner-city dumping grounds into vibrant, art-adorned, pedestrian-friendly public spaces. Vancouver, B.C. -- the city that has served as a North American icon for creating liveable inner cities -- is having its own "laneway" renaissance (as alleys are known here). …

This downtown green space in Seoul was once a looming, congested elevated freeway.Photo: Kyle NishiokaCross-posted from Sightline's Daily Score blog. As a sustainability-loving transportation planner, I was thrilled to learn that Dr. Kee Yeon Hwang would be visiting Vancouver and talking about the project that has made Seoul, Korea a legend in urban planning circles: the Cheonggyecheon Restoration Project. What he and his colleagues accomplished -- tearing down a busy, elevated freeway, re-daylighting the river that had been buried beneath it, and creating a spectacular downtown green space, all in under two and a half years -- is nothing short of …