An ambitious and innovative infrastructure program can multiply benefits for cities willing to take bold steps.
Kathryn Firth writes an op-ed for Next City:
[A]s conversations continue about the need for a Green New Deal and overdue upgrades to the nation’s infrastructure, we also have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine the role that infrastructure can serve in cities. Infrastructure should be conceived as a community asset, both providing equitable new public space and contributing to the beauty of cities, at a time where pressure on urban land is at a premium and civic pride often waning.
Firth, urban design director at NBBJ, cites Victorian Era London as an example of society that took advantage of a similar opportunity—same with the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s and 40s in the United States.
As to how the United States, at the dawn of the 2020s, can achieve similar successes in repositioning the role of infrastructure in cities, Firth suggests several strategies, such as celebrating the utilitarian, balancing safety and security with public access, creating productive tension, getting creative with budgets, and engaging the community.
FULL STORY: Formerly Hidden, Beautiful Infrastructure is Now Back in the Limelight
Has the Rug Been Pulled Out From Under Environmentalists?
Robinson Meyer, a climate reporter for The Atlantic, writes about the awkward place American environmentalists find themselves due in part to the war in Europe that has created an international energy crisis and historically high fuel prices at home.
Resiliency Hubs Help Baltimore Plan for Climate Emergency
The Green New Deal for Cities, a bill introduced in April by reps. Cori Bush (D-MO) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), includes among the list of projects eligible for funding those that "build capacity for communities to endure extreme weather."
The World's Economic Bailout Came With Huge Environmental Costs
The world collectively spent on $17 trillion economic stimulus during the pandemic. The vast majority of that spending will make climate change and other environmental pollution much worse.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.
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Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species
The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service