How Cities are Taking on Blight
Blight has reached crisis proportion in many cities across the country. But communities are fighting back, recognizing the severe impacts that blighted and abandoned properties can cause.
Public Health & Safety
Planning for public health was one of the primary initial concerns of American planners during the early years of the 20th century. It still remains a fundamental concern, whether in terms of flooding, wildfires, earthquakes and other natural disasters — or in dealing with issues such as the impact of roadway design and vehicle speeds on the safety of motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists, or with issues such as pollution.
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Most Recent Articles
How Wide Should a Neighborhood Street Be? – Part 2
Wider vs narrower residential streets & safety: to help you decide what is best for your neighborhoods and community, a look at some of the data and issues in the debate.
How Wide Should a Neighborhood Street Be? – Part 1
Many communities are now debating decreasing neighborhood street width. Planning commissioners need to understand the pros and cons of this debate. How narrow is too narrow — and how wide is too wide?
Retrofitting Dead Malls; Health Rankings; & Do Your Neighbors Shape Your Behavior?
I want to take a few minutes today to highlight three other presentations at the International Making Cities Livable Conference that I found particularly interesting.
Kids, What’s the Matter with Kids Today?
What’s the matter with kids today? In large part it’s that we’re not providing them with a child-friendly built environment. That was the message at the heart of Suzanne Crowhurst Lennard’s talk at the International Making Cities Livable conference in Portland, Oregon.
A Call to Action … and to Walking
“The built environment is health policy and social policy in concrete,” says Dr. Richard Jackson, in documenting the connection the public health impacts of how we plan and build our communities.
Take the Stairs … for Health
How often do you use the stairs when there’s an elevator available? Some public health advocates and architects are starting to give more attention to the value of stairs as a physical fitness tool.
Effect of 20 mph Traffic Speeds on Injury Rates
One of the most important issues facing cities and towns is traffic safety. One key question is the extent to which the reduction in speeds can reduce accidents and injuries. Results from a recent British study shed some light on this.
P is for Public Health & Safety
How public health & safety concerns have shaped city planning since the 19th century. A look by by historian Laurence C. Gerckens, FAICP.
What Do We Mean By “Safe”?
Does the level of crime in our communities tell the whole story of how safe we are? As Evan Lowenstein discusses, there’s more to safety than crime statistics.
The Risk of Wildfire
Wildfires can be catastrophic for property owners — and communities. But this risk can be lessened with effective local planning and development policies.
Safe Routes to School
Safe Routes to School programs are being implemented in communities across the country. Transportation planner Hannah Twaddell provides a primer on “SR2S.”
Beyond the Flood of the Century
On April 19, 1997, the Red River inundated the cities of Grand Forks, North Dakota, and East Grand Forks, Minnesota. Reflections on what happened, and the planning commission’s role.
