Parklets Plant Themselves In Public Places

True story...during that beautiful Friday in Richmond last week, I was out riding my bike during lunch hour. Now, anyone who cycles through city neighborhoods knows that sometimes you’re going to see the unexpected, but I really didn’t expect to see what looked like someone’s back deck resting in a curbside parking zone on Robinson Street. Yet there it was, a wooden deck with plants, a table, big umbrella, and chairs nestled curbside into a space about the size of a big pickup truck. A sign proclaimed that it was a “parklet” and people were sitting in the space talking and relaxing in the shade of the umbrella and trees next to it.

Photo courtesy of Phil Riggan.

Beyond Bricks and Sticks

A weekly digest of current trends in housing and community development. The discussion examines topics from infrastructure to community fabric.

The Figuration of Place & the Urban Room

(RECAP: When the ratio of the height of the buildings and the distance that separates them is within whole-number ratios, a powerful and lasting impression is created in our psyche that we term the urban room.)
http://sunnvancouver.wordpress.com/public-spaces/

Yes, Midcentury Buildings Can Be Saved

(RECAP: Does one green approach, density, supersede another green approach -- keeping what's already here?)
http://www.ubmfuturecities.com/author.asp?section_id=399&doc_id=525709&

The 'cargotecture' movement: 8 amazing examples

(RECAP: The versatility of shipping containers has captured the imagination of architects worldwide who have used them for everything from high-rises to rustic cabins. In fact, there are enough cool container structures around to constitute a movement: Some call it "cargotecture.")
http://realestate.msn.com/the-cargotecture-movement-8-amazing-examples

The Mystery Behind America's Decline in Driving

(RECAP: If the decline in driving isn't largely the result of the recession, then transportation planners might want to think twice before assuming driving miles will rebound if the economy picks up.)
http://www.governing.com/blogs/view/gov-new-report-shows-how-little-we-know-about-decline-in-driving.html

Infographic: How 10 Historical Planners Have Shaped Today’s Cities

(RECAP: Throughout history, urban planners have presented different ideas on how to design successful cities, and their impact is still being felt today.)
http://thisbigcity.net/infographic-how-10-historical-planners-have-shaped-todays-cities/

Beyond Bricks and Sticks

A weekly digest of current trends in housing and community development. The discussion examines topics from infrastructure to community fabric.

The Various Sticks and Carrots for Putting Unused Land to Use

(RECAP: In cities with so much vacant land that much of it doesn’t have any market at all, changing the way in which property gets assessed could make it more likely that land is put to better use.)
http://nextcity.org/politics-policy/entry/the-various-sticks-and-carrots-for-putting-unused-land-to-use

Productive Landscapes in Urban Areas

(RECAP: An element of sustainable urban design, interlinked productive landscapes in cities are changing the way food is produced on a global scale, while increasing the quality of life for those involved and encouraging urban regeneration, self-reliance and social inclusion.)
http://sourceable.net/productive-landscapes-in-urban-areas/

17 Tips for Getting More Pinterest Followers for Your Nonprofit

(RECAP: An effective Pinterest strategy demands an investment of time and involves a lot of trial and error, but the results for your nonprofit can be astounding when it comes to raising awareness, spreading information and soliciting funds.)
http://www.netsquared.org/blog/17-tips-getting-more-pinterest-followers-your-nonprofit#.UieULOB4XGs

Park by Swarm

(RECAP: What if communities formed new parks when they needed them? What if these parks could be formed by swarms of bicycles?)
http://dirt.asla.org/2013/08/28/park-by-swarm/

Bringing Biking Into The Building Cycle

I recently came across a neat article written by Sarah Goodyear for the Atlantic Cities website that highlighted “10 Brilliant Pieces of Bike Infrastructure.” What struck me about the article was the way that the examples of adding bike elements to neighborhood/city infrastructures across the world definitely could be implemented in urban and suburban development in Virginia. These are ideas that go much further than bike racks and lanes.

Beyond Bricks and Sticks

A weekly digest of current trends in housing and community development. The discussion examines topics from infrastructure to community fabric.

Intergenerational Ingenuity: Mixing Age Groups in Affordable Housing

(RECAP: A nonprofit organization has built an urban solution that addresses the problem of age segregation for seniors while brightening the prospects of families who adopt children out of the foster care system.)
http://urbanland.uli.org/Articles/2013/Aug/MachtIntergenerational

How to Sell Developers and Employers on Transit-Oriented Development

(RECAP: Multifamily residential developers, redevelopment specialists and large corporate office tenants already show strong interest in transit-accessible sites. But they often get thwarted by high land costs and needlessly complex regulations.)
http://dc.streetsblog.org/2013/08/27/how-to-sell-developers-and-employers-on-transit-oriented-development/

Live Out Your Urban Planning God Complex With a New App Called Streetmix

(RECAP: This app’s value lies in making it easy to visualize proposed changes to a street. Not only is it helpful for planners, residents can use Streetmix to show planning officials just what, exactly, they want their streets to look — or why they are coming out against a planning project.)
http://nextcity.org/civic-tech/entry/live-out-your-urban-planning-god-complex-with-a-new-app-called-streetmix

Non-Profits on Facebook

(RECAP: Facebook is directly catering to non-profits with a resource page, facebook.com/nonprofits, specifically to help them use the site. It includes the latest examples of how many organizations are using Facebook today.)
https://www.facebook.com/nonprofits

How Fruit Trees Are Growing Communities

(RECAP: A global grass roots movement has identified a very effective ingredient for building community: Fruit. What do the untapped fruit trees of the world have to do with community? Everything.)
http://www.shareable.net/blog/how-fruit-trees-are-growing-communities

Beyond Bricks and Sticks

A weekly digest of current trends in housing and community development. The discussion examines topics from infrastructure to community fabric.

Who's Returning To The City

(RECAP: Are children, Millennials and baby boomers returning to cities? The best answer: sometimes, sometimes, and maybe not.)
http://www.planetizen.com/node/64707

Walkability, but hold the red tape

(RECAP: Urbanists must adopt less bureaucratic approaches so the next generation can build and grow the economy. Hence the proliferation of “lean” codes that emphasize only the essentials of shaping community.)
http://bettercities.net/article/walkability-hold-red-tape-20342

A Retirement Home for the Homeless

(RECAP: The goal of a ground-breaking pilot program called Elder Care Health Outreach (ECHO) is to provide better care to an at-risk population, reduce health-care costs and emergency room visits and enable these seniors with a way to "age in place.")
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/housing/2013/08/retirement-home-homeless/6564/

How nonprofits are saving run-down homes

(RECAP: Housing organizations across the country are salvaging blighted houses, preserving their historic character and preparing them to withstand years of future use.)
http://realestate.msn.com/how-nonprofits-are-saving-run-down-homes

Media Facades: Building Facades Become Urban Communicators 

(RECAP: “Mediatecture” is being seen as the forerunner of buildings that can actively change and adapt themselves. In this respect, their future potential is not to be underestimated.)
http://sourceable.net/media-facades-building-facades-become-urban-communicators/

What Do The Numbers Really Mean?

A recent article from the Center for Housing Policy’s Housing Landscape 2013 entitled, “More than a quarter of working renter households spend at least half of income on housing,” prompted a discussion with colleagues about data and definitions. When you sit down to read an article of this nature, you must keep in mind the author’s intention of the article, whether the sources of data are reliable, what the definitions of the variables are and how the data is interpreted (calculated) and presented.

When it comes to affordable housing and how much of our income we spend on housing, there are many definitions and many interpretations.  At the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the generally accepted definition of affordability is for a household to pay no more than 30 percent of its annual income on housing.