Futurity.org » urban planning

Do minorities get ‘hosed’ on water bill?

Andy Henion-Michigan State — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:45:51 +0000

MICHIGAN STATE (US) — White flight from urban centers often means minority residents are left to pay to maintain aging water and sewer systems, a new study finds.

This “structural inequality” is not necessarily a product of racism, but does mean that racial minorities pay systematically more than white people for basic municipal services.

Many in UK willing to pay for green space

Amy Stone-Sheffield — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:48:32 +0000

U. SHEFFIELD (UK) — People in the UK are willing to pay more—in taxes or rent/mortgage payments—in order to get greener urban spaces with more tree coverage, according to a new survey.

Members of the public in Sheffield and Manchester were shown images of how local areas could be developed in the future and were asked how much more they would be willing to pay for each scenario.

No real warming from urban ‘heat island’

Louis Bergeron-Stanford — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:02:02 +0000

STANFORD (US) — The urban ‘heat island’ effect contributes less than 5 percent to overall global warming, far less than greenhouse gas or black carbon, new research shows.

The study also finds that if all the roofs in urban areas were painted white, warming would increase, not decrease, as previously believed.

Will congestion fees alone reduce traffic?

Robert Polner-NYU — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 17:51:45 +0000

NYU (US) — What does it take to convince motorists to drive less—and thereby reduce traffic congestion, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions?

For some local, state, and federal policy makers, the answer typically lies in land-use planning that makes it easier for people to walk, ride bicycles, or use mass transit.

Foreclosure crisis: Lessons learned

Patric Lane-UNC — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:10:43 +0000

UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — As the nation works to restore the housing market, a new book tells what really caused the foreclosure crisis and how to rebuild a safe and sustainable U.S. housing finance system.

“Our study of 46,000 low-income families who received home loans and managed to repay them during the worst housing crisis in our nation’s history proves that we know how to make sound loans to creditworthy working families,” says Roberto G. Quercia, professor of city and regional planning and director of the Center for Community Capital at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Metros in Northeast, Midwest most ‘resilient’

Rachel Teaman-Buffalo — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 16:52:02 +0000

U. BUFFALO (US) — Using a new online tool, researchers have measured more than 360 U.S. metros for their capacity to handle stresses ranging from economic recession to natural disasters.

Overall, Northeastern and Midwestern regions tend to be more resilient than those in the South or West, largely because these regions earn high scores for affordability, the size of their health-insured population, rates of homeownership, and metropolitan stability, as measured by recent population change.

London commuters ‘mind the map’

Robert Polner-NYU — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 16:46:33 +0000

NYU (US) — Passengers on the London Underground rely less on experience and more on “distorted” transit maps when choosing routes.

That’s according to new research by Zhan Guo, a professor at New York University. His recent study found that the schematic transit map, replete with conscious distortions to make everything fit, can at times be misleading to riders.

Cats No. 1 threat to city mockingbirds

Danielle Torrent-Florida — Tue, 10 May 2011 14:31:10 +0000

U. FLORIDA (US) — Cats are the dominant predator to mockingbird eggs and nestlings in urban areas, prompting conservationists to urge pet owners to keep felines indoors at night.

The findings challenge assumptions that urban areas are places of refuge for nesting mockingbirds, a species researchers say plays an important role in controlling insect pests.

Urban community farms a growing trend

Layne Cameron-Michigan State — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 15:33:03 +0000

MICHIGAN STATE (US) — Transforming vacant urban lots into farms and community gardens could provide city residents with a majority of their fruits and vegetables.

A new study indicates that a combination of urban farms, community gardens, storage facilities, and hoop houses—greenhouses used to extend the growing season—could supply residents in Detroit, Michigan, with more than 75 percent of their vegetables and more than 40 percent of their fruits.

Wired towns edge out big cities

Andy Henion-Michigan State — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:08:50 +0000

MICHIGAN STATE (US)—A city’s size no longer is the key factor in building vibrant local economies. It’s all about connections to other places, a new study suggests.

The rise of commercial aviation, high-speed rail, the Internet, and other technological advances have allowed smaller cities to compete with urban powers such as New York and Chicago, says Michigan State University sociologist Zachary Neal.