theatlantic:

The Science of Quieter Cities

Could we design better places where we could all live together without hearing quite so much of each other? And just what would that sound like?

These aren’t questions only for apartment-dwellers. Obnoxious city noise comes from all around us, moving between buildings and through windows and across congested roads. If we don’t tame it„ people may never willingly rearrange themselves into the denser living patterns environmentalists say we need.

“People think, ‘Oh we need electricity from solar panels, we need x-y-z system, we need to use less water,”  Thomas Jones, the dean of Cal Poly’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design, says. “But we absolutely have to make living in denser urban environments pleasant to the senses, or we’ll lose the environmental battle.”

Maybe it’s time to start looking at townhouses and bus shelters with the same acoustic care engineers have long given to concert halls and schools. In doing so, it’s possible we could make the city sound not just quieter – but, in a very real way, more pleasant.

Read more at The Atlantic Cities. [Image: Shutterstock]

“The idea of people being in control of designing, building, and managing their housing needs remains powerful and inspirational, and the dangerous lesson history shows us is that it’s too easily co-opted into ugly parodies by international agencies.” -Inspiring Urbanists: John F. C. Turner and the Right to Control One’s Own Housing Process

(Source: morusnyc)

How a Neighborhood’s Walkability Can Increase Property Values 

Is there a direct link between higher home values and neighborhoods with higher levels of walkability? What does that tell us about the value of our very own urban neighborhoods? Read more here.

urbalize:

Only a matter of time before green roofs became mobile! Bus Roots is the thesis project of an NYU graduate student. If every bus in NYC became a mobile roof garden, it would create 35 acres of new green space, more photos and project details can be found here.

Certainly an innovating idea. Any thoughts out there?

(via urbalize)

“’Placemaking’ is both an overarching idea and a hands-on tool for improving a neighborhood, city or region. It has the potential to be one of the most transformative ideas of this century.” -Metropolitan Planning Council of Chicago

An interesting article that highlights community grassroots participation and suggests innovative means of better integrating cities with its residents.

(Source: pps.org)

smartplandesign:

The construction boom of the 2000s often cited as the reason for the boom in housing prices doesn’t break precedent—or break records. At a time when U.S. population growth was slower, the 1970s saw two housing booms that produced more housing starts than the 2000s. The high points and low points of new housing starts over the last 30 years (listed in thousands) reveal a not-especially remarkable boom in housing construction in the mid-’00s, followed by a severe and prolonged bust.

For the full article from which this graphic is taken, visit the Architect Magazine website for the Matthew Yglesias article “Fables of the Reconstruction”

Jennifer Neal in the article “Public Schools Good for People Without Kids, Too”

Creating strong cities and neighborhoods requires more than just nice streets. It requires great public schools. (via dreamsforthecity)

(via nilut)