Architecture & Urban Planning

Global change science is by essence multidisciplinary: it grows from the cross-pollination between a broad range of natural and social sciences. But one group of disciplines, the humanities, is often left outside of this conversation. What is their place in the research on global change?

Unbeknownst to most of the campus community of students, faculty, staff and guests, the actual biological community of the Technion campus is far greater than the thousands of humans that walk in and out of its gates every day. Members of this expanded community make their homes on or between the campus buildings, in the landscaped strips between the buildings, or in a great expanse of planted and natural forest on the southern slopes of the campus.

“Essentially, urban agriculture arises where there’s vacant land, cheap land, a low market rate or wherever food justice activity pops up,” McClintock says. “So many of these projects produce food to address the so-called food desert.” Read more

Jia-Ching Chen is now at Pennsylavania State University as an Assistant Professor of Environmental Governance and Urban Systems.

Stuart Cohen reflects on his recent three-month sabbatical awarded to him by the O2 Initiatives Sabbatical Award.

The first “urban century” in history has arrived: a majority of the world’s population now resides in cities and their surrounding suburbs. Urban expansion marches on, and the planning and design of future cities requires attention to such diverse issues as human migration, public health, economic restructuring, water supply, climate and sea-level change, and much more.

Nashville conservationists won Thursday. Clad in lime green shirts with bright red stop signs on the front, more than a 150 Nashvillians swarmed Metro Planning Commission’s Thursday meeting to decry a development in West Nashville. And they were pleased with the outcome. ... Radnor2River director Noah Charney echoed several residents’ sentiment that the development proposed by Nashville Highlands could mean great harm for the ecosystem and nearby neighbors.

By Stephen Wheeler: For six months I and others have been meeting with council members, city planning staff, and the landowner to encourage a development plan for the Nishi Gateway site that is truly sustainable and will enhance the city’s reputation as a cutting-edge green community. Many of the pieces of such a plan are tantalizingly close, and many good people are at work on the project. But the overall vision still hasn’t gelled. Since environmental review and project design are rapidly proceeding, now is the time for leadership to make that happen.

Ruth Steiner, a professor of urban and regional planning at UF, moved here from the San Francisco Bay area about 20 years ago. Compared to back then, she said, traffic counts on major roads like 13th Street are down while public transit ridership in Gainesville has grown considerably. Steiner, who lives halfway between Santa Fe College and UF and takes the bus occasionally, such as when her car is in the shop, spoke positively of how RTS service has expanded and improved over the years and pointed out that Gainesville's employment centers are pretty centrally located too.