Archive for August, 2008
What the Olympics teach us about urban health
Monday, August 25th, 2008During the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, incidents of hospitalization for asthma declined by 41% according to an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The air quality in Beijing over the past two weeks has apparently been better than it has in decades. One day had an index reading of 12, down from an […]
Is Costco really a threat to Manhattan?
Sunday, August 24th, 2008 Or is Manhattan more of a threat to Costco?
For years the discount warehouse retailer Costco has been looking for a site in Manhattan. According to the New York Sun, they may have found one. But there is vocal opposition from residents, politicians and even some unions.
Much of the rationale behind opposing it […]
Telecommuting is so ex-urban
Saturday, August 16th, 2008Sure, working from home occasionally can offer a productivity boost. Getting away from the phone and co-workers is sometimes necessary to accomplish large, solitary projects or catch up on a dozen loose ends.
But everyone working from home, connecting via the internet and VOIP or video conference to each other is not going to happen. As […]
US “citistates” and the election
Tuesday, August 12th, 2008During the presidential primaries, few candidates spoke much about urban issues. No one seemed to acknowledge how reliant the US economy is on its cities. Although a few blogs attempted to bark about this, the mainstream media and therefore most American voters largely ignored this omission.
The Brookings Institution is hoping to […]
Back to the future
Sunday, August 10th, 2008In the Philadelphia area (link via Planetizen), city officials representing older neighbourhoods and inner ring, older suburbs are now working together to promote these communities as great alternatives to far flung, distant suburbs:
They are places that have been long suffering as homebuyers the past few decades have opted for more spacious homes on large lots […]
From Suburb to Satellite City
Thursday, August 7th, 2008Writing in the Globe and Mail, John Bently Mays insists that some suburbs are thriving:
If pundits are going to discuss the future of North American suburbs — and this is surely an excellent time to do so — then they should have in mind a clear picture of the very dynamic phenomenon they are […]