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Contains the results from the California Governor's Office of Planning and Research yearly local government planning survey. Each issue includes a chart summarizing the status of local general plans, directories of California's city and county planning agencies, councils of governments, and local agency formation commissions.

This book presents a compendium of the urban layout maps of 2-mile square downtown areas of more than one hundred cities in developed and developing countries—all drawn at the same scale using high-resolution satellite images of Google Maps. The book also presents analytic studies using metric geometrical, topological (or network), and fractal measures of these maps. These analytic studies identify ordinaries, extremes, similarities, and differences in these maps; investigate the scaling properties of these maps; and develop precise descriptive categories, types and indicators for multidimensional comparative studies of these maps. The findings of these studies indicate that many geometric relations of the urban layouts of downtown areas follow regular patterns; that despite social, economic, and cultural differences among cities, the geometric measures of downtown areas in cities of developed and developing countries do not show significant differences; and that the geometric possibilities of urban layouts are vastly greater than those that have been realized so far in our cities.

"Space, often absent from kinesiological analyses, has significant impacts on how communities operationalize health (Fusco, 2007). The spatial dialogue between bodies and intentional movement directs how bodies are invited, or disinvited, to be physically active (Loukaitou-Sideris & Ehrenfeucht, 2011). As communities reimagine public spaces in the name of neoliberal health (Ayo, 2012; Fusco, 2007), the challenge becomes distinguishing which forms of physical activity and movement are or are not accepted in those spaces. Thus, as bodies claim space, some bodies are ignored, regulated, or removed, while others are celebrated and designed for (Soja, 1980). Skateboarding offers a unique look at how bodies are navigating the challenging landscape of the postmodern. Particularly, skateboarding claims public space, whether or not that space was intended for its use, placing skateboarding in conversation with the municipality and community in multiple ways. Utilizing the integration of social science frameworks (Lefebvrian Triad, edgework, publicness, and biographies) that focus on spatial relations, this project examined the regulation of human movement by municipalities through the critical reading of Seattle's Citywide Skatepark Plan (Skatepark Advisory Taskforce, 2007) and Portland's Skatepark System Plan (Portland Parks & Recreation, 2008). Identifying seven key themes, a description of how cities develop, deploy, and consume skateboarding and related sports (e.g., BMX, inline) and the spaces they occupy is presented. The analyses introduce five major assertions that describe how municipalities manage physical movement through "the city" in the name of the common good. These assertions serve to shape how communities define legal bodies and movement through cityscapes and what this means for the skateboarder and skateboarding. Specifically, the introduction of a Skating Commons and ideas of complacent resistance are explored as challenges facing the municipality and skateboarding in the creation of sociospatial networks within "the city." The application of these assertions in the "lived" experiences of "the city" has the potential to impact how individuals understand, value, and engage in physical activity and movement."--Abstract from author supplied metadata

Wellington city's forecast, for the period 2011-31, is that the urban population will increase by 20,000 residents, including 60% increased demand for rental properties. This research investigation focuses on sustainable means of increasing housing density in the face of ever-increasing urban sprawl. The research proposes that Wellington City Council's Smart Capital (2010) initiatives for urban expansion infrastructure projects--with aims to attain progressive urban growth with desirable characteristics--are good on some levels, but remedies such as infill and intensification that encroach on urban green spaces are unsustainable. The encroachments caused by urban sprawl can damage both environmental design characteristics and, the well-being of inhabitants. The thesis proposes that smart planned development (SPD) principles, when sustainably maintained, can be an effective alternative urbanisation method to WCC's Smart Capital propositions. This investigation proposes a theoretical formulation supporting the construction of superblocks within New Zealand, using SPD as a process. For example, Lincolnshire Farm in Wellington is a site exemplar whose proximity and size would permit the city to construct alternative spatial configurations, in the form of a modified superblock for the New Zealand context. The Modern Movement reflected on the viability of superblocks of urban housing for population growth. Historically, these superblocks when built were problematic due to the detrimental attributes of automobiles, densities, and metropolitan expansions. This thesis proposes ways to mitigate these difficulties by merging relevant components of three environmental approaches: 'Ecological Design' principles by Sim Van der Ryn; 'Green Urbanism' principles by Steffen Lehmann; and framework of 'Green Transit Oriented Development' proposed by Robert Cervero and Catherine Sullivan. Once relevant aspects of these principles are assimilated, the research examines them within the context of Kevin Lynch's principles for a good city form (GCF), to help contribute to the development of new sustainable criteria for superblocks in New Zealand.

Bluff, a small industrial fishing township, situated at the spit of the southernmost point of New Zealand stands isolated and desolate. A place that is static in time, with an uncertainty of the township's future in relation to industries being threatened with closure. This project speculates the unknown outcomes of the inevitable closure of Tiwai Smelter and the impact it will have on the town's future. It investigates this proposition to develop a methodology to represent site through drawing and how architecture can play a vital role for the people to reconnect to their environment. Site is employed as an active agent across scales to construct three different architectural perspectives, each increasing in scale and complexity. These three experiments are an installation, observatory dwelling and finally a reimagined Bluff township as, Space Port City. Through the Installation, based off site, specific objects transform and create new possibilities that are tested through to the domestic scale. From the experimental research tests the proposed outcomes of the final design activate the site becoming New Zealand's first Space Port, reinvigorating the isolated landscape. The three design tests recognise the process of site thinking, communicating and enabling the public to fully engage with their peripheral context.

Mills and factories in the United States have steadily been closing down as industry is outsourced in the globalized economy. Cities that were once prosperous face decay and often have no hopeful future outlook. Post-industrial towns face major unemployment and poverty and are not typically places for re-investment. But Rust Belt cities like Baltimore, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, Milwaukee and St. Louis are not the only post- industrial hubs that are struggling. Many small towns in rural areas once thrived from manufacturing and are becoming forgotten. Local governments, policy makers, urban planners, developers and scholars are working to figure out how to revive these dying cities and towns. Some scholars argue that making cities diverse, inclusive, artsy, foody, gay-friendly, healthy, vibrant and creative is the answer to the post-industrial problem. In doing so, cities and towns will attract what they call the "Creative Class," a large, highly-educated and creative chunk of the labor force that associated with economic growth. Waterville, Maine is a rural, post- industrial mill town that has been plagued by poverty and unemployment since the decline of its paper mills and factories during the twentieth century. This town is seeing major changes as a Waterville college is pouring millions of dollars into its downtown to revitalize it. Partners in the revitalization effort seek to bring vibrancy, economic growth and employment through their work and money. Colby College and the City of Waterville are employing many of the strategies suggested by Creative Class scholars. This essay seeks to examine the varying attitudes, desires and opinions of the town's community members. Will a lack of consensus impede the revitalization efforts?

This volume first puts our current moment in context, tracing cities in the arc of human history. It also examines the basic structural elements of every city: materials and fuels; people and economics; and biodiversity. In part two, professionals working on some of the world's most inventive urban sustainability projects share their first-hand experience. Success stories come from places as diverse as Ahmedabad, India; Freiburg, Germany; and Shanghai, China. In many cases, local people are acting to improve their cities, even when national efforts are stalled. Parts three and four examine cross-cutting issues that affect the success of all cities. Topics range from the nitty-gritty of handling waste and developing public transportation to civic participation and navigating dysfunctional government. Throughout, readers discover the most pressing challenges facing communities and the most promising solutions currently being developed. The result is a snapshot of cities today and a vision for global urban sustainability tomorrow.

What makes a great city? Not a good city or a functional city but a great city. A city that people admire, learn from, and replicate. City planner and architect Alexander Garvin set out to answer this question by observing cities, largely in North America and Europe, with special attention to Paris, London, New York, and Vienna. For Garvin, greatness is not just about the most beautiful, convenient, or well-managed city; it isn’t even about any “city.” It is about what people who shape cities can do to make a city great. A great city is not an exquisite, completed artifact. It is a dynamic, constantly changing place that residents and their leaders can reshape to satisfy their demands. While this book does discuss the history, demographic composition, politics, economy, topography, history, layout, architecture, and planning of great cities, it is not about these aspects alone. Most importantly, it is about the interplay between people and public realm, and how they have interacted throughout history to create great cities. To open the book, Garvin explains that a great public realm attracts and retains the people who make a city great. He describes exactly what the term public realm means, its most important characteristics, as well as providing examples of when and how these characteristics work, or don’t. An entire chapter is devoted to a discussion of how particular components of the public realm (squares in London, parks in Minneapolis, and streets in Madrid) shape people’s daily lives. He concludes with a look at how twenty-first century initiatives in Paris, Houston, Atlanta, Brooklyn, and Toronto are making an already fine public realm even better—initiatives that demonstrate what other cities can do to improve. This volume will help readers understand that any city can be changed for the better and inspire entrepreneurs, public officials, and city residents to do it themselves.

This book examines wayfinding from a broad public health perspective and articulates what needs to be done to create better wayfinding for all people regardless of age, ability, or mode of transportation. Addressing both science and the human experience, the book brings together a group of international experts to examine community wayfinding from a variety of viewpoints. It first presents a critical foundation for understanding wayfinding from an individual perspective. Next, it describes relevant design principles and practices by drawing upon architecture, environmental graphic design, universal design (UD), and urban planning. The book then goes on to examine wayfinding tools and innovative technologies ranging from maps to apps to complex systems. In addition, coverage includes case studies, lessons from wayfinding improvement initiatives, and recommendations for future research, practice, and policy. Overall, the book focuses on the economic and commercial benefits of good wayfinding, its potential impact on the health of individuals and communities, as well as strategies for the journey ahead. It will appeal to numerous professionals across many disciplines from architecture and cartography to public health and urban planning. Additionally, the book can help advance a dialogue among those interested in enhancing the livability of their communities.

This book explores expertise relevant for working groups of NeDiMAH, a European Science Foundation (ESF) funded Research Networking Programme. It examines mapping methods, procedures, tools, criticism, awareness, challenges and solutions around the concepts of “Space and Time” and “Information Visualization”. The chapters explore digital methods in the representation of natural disasters, industrial design, cultural, and the history of architecture. The conclusions link to related research and present suggestions for further work including representing landscape not just as another 3D model but as historic evolution with specialised tools.

As a Phoenix native, the author argues that the suburban city, which grew up based on the automobile and the single-family home, needs to dramatically change and evolve in an era of climate change. He shows how this is possible, and that many suburban cities are already making strides in increasing their resilience. Gammage focuses on the story of Phoenix, which shows the power of collective action -- government action -- to confront the challenges of geography and respond through public policy. He examines issues facing most suburban cities around water supply, heat, transportation, housing, density, urban form, jobs, economics, and politics. This book is a realistic yet hopeful story of what is possible for any suburban city.

As a Phoenix native, the author argues that the suburban city, which grew up based on the automobile and the single‑family home, needs to dramatically change and evolve in an era of climate change. He shows how this is possible, and that many suburban cities are already making strides in increasing their resilience. Gammage focuses on the story of Phoenix, which shows the power of collective action — government action — to confront the challenges of geography and respond through public policy. He examines issues facing most suburban cities around water supply, heat, transportation, housing, density, urban form, jobs, economics, and politics. This book is a realistic yet hopeful story of what is possible for any suburban city.

Two prominent issues are affecting the vitality of regional settlements in the New Zealand context. Firstly, urbanisation has meant the migration of young workers and professionals to creative and economic urban centres, leaving demographic gaps in the regions and a dwindling population. Secondly, the exploitation of regional landscapes by cities has led to severe degradation of extensive wetland ecosystems. Wetlands drained for farming, large-scale deforestation and industrial settlements established to support agriculture and forestry contribute to the artificial landscape morphology. New Zealand's waterways and lakes now suffer from eutrophication; an enrichment of nutrients caused by dairy run-off and increased sediments, characterised by a build-up of organic matter producing toxic algae bloom. Titled 'Renewal of the Abject', this project is a speculative design that aims to reconcile the problematic relationship between the dairy industry and the environment. Architectural infrastructure and landscape renewal present an opportunity to challenge current urban planning tendencies in the Horowhenua District. The project proposes to reinvigorate small towns with a self-sufficient and forward planning urban framework. Levin, a prominent industrial town at the centre of the Horowhenua District, clings to the vital transport connection between Wellington and Auckland, feeding off the economic lifeline of passing traffic. With the proposed changes by NZTA to create a State Highway One Bypass east of Levin, the CBD may suffer economically leading to population decline. Lake Horowhenua, west of the town centre, was once the heart of the District with an abundance of food and natural resources. It is now considered one of the worst lakes in New Zealand based on its poor condition. Integrating infrastructure and megastructure challenges modernist attempts to zone cities by function and aims to build clean infrastructure integrated into compact urban areas.

Short summary of what the members of the Denver City Council plan to focus on during the 2016 calendar year.

A short presentation concerning highway access to the Kechi subarea of Wichita, and the benefits of the planned building of KHP Headquarters at the Kechi site.

Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr. (1822-1903), renowned landscape architect and journalist, was also a political activist who saw urban parks as a way to facilitate social reform. This study focuses on Olmsted's role as Superintendent of Central Park (1858-1861), evaluating the impacts of politics throughout his campaign for Superintendent and during the construction of Central Park. Politics, in this study, refers to both the interactions between Republican and Democratic parties, and the interactions between Olmsted and his constituents, in both the government and the intellectual sphere. This study will provide readers with a fuller understanding of how local political disputes, ideas about poverty and access to a public good, and arguments regarding allocation of park-funding shaped the debates surrounding the park and contributed to its final design. In the 1840s and 1850s, New York politics debated widespread poverty, unemployment, and public distrust of local government. This study will demonstrate how Olmsted's career as a landscape architect began as a result of the political climate of the time, and how politics impacted Olmsted's work as Superintendent. Through the design of Central Park, Olmsted set the precedent for landscape architecture as a practice.