In ex-urb cities #Nanaimo—future looks like surface parking as far as you can see, miles of arterials @museumofwalking @pps @AtlanticCities

— TheSidewalkBallet (@1sidewalkballet) October 30, 2013

From Forbes — Light, Quick And Cheap: The Big Shift In Urban Planning

Bryant Park from drug den to beloved meeting place.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the past, remaking cities has been the stuff of big visions. Think of Chicago’s Daniel Burnham, who declared, “Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood. Or Robert Moses, the public planning guru of New York City. Now, as cities across the United States try to rejuvenate themselves, there is a new mantra: lighter, quicker, cheaper.

Read more: Light, Quick And Cheap: The Big Shift In Urban Planning - Forbes

From The Guardian — Cycle-Friendly Cities Also Need to Welcome Walkers

The steep decline in walking sits uneasily against the background of solid public health evidence on the benefits of walking. Bristol City council has set out the health benefits of walking which include reducing the risks of a range of health conditions including cardiovascular and respiratory disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers and deaths from all causes. Walking also helps to counter depression and maintain wellbeing.

Walking is very obviously a health promoting activity that has failed to register on the radar screen of key decision takers. Read more: Cycle-friendly cities also need to welcome walkers | John Whitelegg | Local Leaders Network | Guardian Professional

Encore: The Shuffle Demons — The Spadina Bus

“I think about @RobertACaro and reading The Power Broker when I was 22 being mesmerized... helped to shape how I think about politics" Obama
— TheSidewalkBallet (@1sidewalkballet) October 22, 2013

Slow, Steady Progress on SketchUp

 

Photo: Hudson Bay Company, Granville St Vancouver 1935. 3D model drawn in Google SketchUp match-photo. Small breakthroughs in inferencing, arrays and components. There's been great value in getting hopelessly lost then starting over.

Charlie Rose Chats with Vishaan Chakrabarti and in The Globe and Mail — Alex Bozikovic on A Country of Cities

And @alexbozikovic in The Globe: Why we’re better off living in hyperdense cities built around mass transit - The Globe and Mail