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  • Great places and the element of delight (plus lasers!)

    This is part five in a series on “great places.” Read parts one, two, three, and four. This great place will delight you. Place enthusiasts (I really need a better term for that) are prone to lapsing into the wonky language of engineers or city planners: transit-oriented development, mixed-use buildings, etc. So let’s not forget, […]

    David Roberts Buildings

  • How smart growth reduces emissions

    Cross-posted from the Natural Resources Defense Council. Rob Steuteville has posted a terrific analysis on the New Urban Network rebutting the claim by the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) that “the existing body of research demonstrates no clear link between residential land use and greenhouse-gas emissions.” Rob responds with Todd Litman’s excellent research and writing […]

    Kaid Benfield Buildings

  • New Orleans proves passive houses work just as well in hot climates

    New Orleans might be turning into an island, but by God, it will be a stylish, energy-efficient one, if some Canadian architects have anything to say about it. We already knew passive houses were all kinds of awesome, capable of staying warm in even harsh winters without any kind of heating at all. But NOLA […]

    Christopher Mims Buildings

  • The biggest, baddest bikeshare system in the world: Hangzhou, China [VIDEO]

    A couple of weeks ago, I rode the Capital Bikeshare system in Washington, D.C., and I was some impressed. With 1,100 bikes, it’s currently the biggest in the nation, and it makes getting around Washington much easier than it has ever been before. But the bikeshare in Hangzhou, China, a city of 6.77 million, blows […]

    Sarah Goodyear Buildings

  • Roads cause traffic

    Yeah, it actually does need to be said. Folks with an investment in expanding highway infrastructure like to act as though the only way to relieve congestion is to build more roads for those cars to ride on. But a soon-to-be-published study shows that traffic expands to fill the space allotted. More roads don't mean […]

    Jess Zimmerman Buildings

  • Reviving a river in Mexico City

    Mexico City has treated its rivers badly: They tend to be paved over and filled with sewage. But Elías Cattan, a green building leader in Mexico City, wants to turn one of these f*cked-under resources back into a healthy, flowing river. Under Cattan’s guidance, the trash-clogged Río Piedad would become a viable waterway with a […]

    Sarah Laskow Buildings

  • Great places: smart density as part of economic flourishing

    Bring people together in a great place and great things happen.This is part four in a series on “great places.” Read parts one, two, three, and five. So far I’ve written that great places are green and groovy. (Yeah, I said groovy.) Lest I make the whole notion sound like a smelly commune, though, it’s […]

    David Roberts Buildings

  • Tea Party reveals: ‘Sustainable Development’ is sinister attempt to destroy American Dream

    Did you know that the seemingly geeky, mild-mannered profession of urban planning is actually a breeding ground for social engineers — part of a sinister international plot to rob you of your American Dream? Well wake up already, people! The East Bay Tea Party is here to tell you all about it. They have the […]

    Sarah Goodyear Buildings

  • Washington’s bikeshare is a capital idea

    Capital Bikeshare gives you access to 1,100 bicycles around the city.Photo: DDOT DCDo you know what it means to be “dockblocked”? (Don’t worry, that’s a “D,” not a “C,” fellas.) If the answer is yes, you are probably a regular user of the Capital Bikeshare system in Washington, D.C. Dockblocked is what you call it […]

    Sarah Goodyear Buildings

  • Texas erases $4 billion from education budget, spends it on a giant highway expansion

    What does the world need most, in this age of high gas prices and rampant carbon emissions? A 28-mile expansion of highway between Dallas and Denton, Texas! At least, that’s what Texas thinks. Thankfully, the state has freed up just enough money for this crucial project by gutting its education budget. Hey, whatever — Texas' […]

    Christopher Mims Buildings