thegreenurbanist: In 2009, Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) placed automatic bike counting equipment at many locations around the city. It uses pneumatic tubes to count the number of bicyclists (excludes cars) at that point in the street – it counts ALL trips, and cannot distinguish between people going to work or going to school. The size of the blue dot indicates the bicycle mode share for that count location. Mode share calculated by adding bikes and cars and dividing by bikes. Get the data View the map, at GeoCommons View the raw data, at Google Fusion Tables (filter data; export as CSV or KML files) Download the raw data as CSV (load into Microsoft Excel, OpenOffice, Apple Numbers) Read the report from CDOT (PDF)

thegreenurbanist:

In 2009, Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) placed automatic bike counting equipment at many locations around the city. It uses pneumatic tubes to count the number of bicyclists (excludes cars) at that point in the street – it counts ALL trips, and cannot distinguish between people going to work or going to school.

The size of the blue dot indicates the bicycle mode share for that count location. Mode share calculated by adding bikes and cars and dividing by bikes.

Get the data

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A Sustainable Future for Downtown Chicago

thisbigcity:

Chicago’s skyline dominates the southwest tip of Lake Michigan. The downtown area - “the Loop” - is one of the world’s most concentrated collections of notable architecture. Highlights include the art deco Board of Trade, the glowing blue pyramid atop the Metropolitan, and the modernist Willis Tower. The Willis, formerly the Sears, has been the tallest building in the United States since its construction in 1974.

The Loop takes up only 1.6 square miles, and a tour group can cover it in a couple of hours and still have time to gawk. But this density comes with an environmental price. 

Read More

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In Chicago, A Plan To Quench 'Food Deserts' : NPR

lettersfromhere:

“Walgreens is piloting several food centers in Chicago after Mayor Daley approached the chain about helping end “food deserts” — areas bereft of grocery stores and food options. Walgreens is now selling fresh produce and light perishable groceries in low-income and/or black communities in Chicago.”

Walgreen release here.

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Digital Urbanisms: How Segregated is Your City? Race and ethnicity Infographic

digitalurbanisms:

from - Infographic of the Day: How Segregated is Your City? | Fast Company

Recently, cartographer Bill Rankin produced an astounding map of Chicago, which managed to show the city’s areas of racial integration.

Eric Fischer saw those maps, and took it upon himself to create similar ones for…

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edificecomplex:

“This towering eco high-rise offers a green gateway to the city of Chicago that includes a large vertical farm, mixed-use towers, and a residential tower all tied together by a series of sky bridges. Envisioned by a student at the Illinois Institute of Technology, the project is located over Lake Shore Drive and was designed specifically for the location of the dormant Chicago Spire site, otherwise known as the “Giant Hole in the Ground”.

The Chicago Gateway is composed of two vertical mixed-use towers supported by a leaning tower covered in a green roof. Offices and commercial space would reside in the vertical towers and residences in the leaning tower, which bridges over Lake Shore Drive. All of the structures are connected together via a vertical farm podium, and a network of sky bridges connects the towers and provides access to other nearby buildings.

Urban farming via hydroponics would take place inside the green podium, and a green roof would grow additional produce. Vegetables and herbs would be grown in mechanized hanging baskets in the hydroponic farm. Produce from the farm could be delivered via they sky bridges, and the public can access the building and use the elevated routes to travel around the city.

This design, which was created in 2007, was a finalist for the prestigious Schiff Foundation Fellowship.

Read more: Vertical Farm Concept is a Green Gateway for Chicago | Inhabitat 

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The top 20 urban planning successes of all time

A fascinating post just appeared on the Public Servant Blog:  “The top 20 urban planning successes of all time.”  Written by “L.G.,” the list includes the following:

  1. Amsterdam, Netherlands
  2. Billerica Garden Suburb, Massachusetts (“the country’s first garden suburb designed specifically for workers”)
  3. Camden Town, London (“There is no one age group, race, gender or socio-economic group that outnumbers another”)
  4. Chicago Boulevard System
  5. Eugene, Oregon (“plans to be carbon neutral with no waste by 2020”)
  6. Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri
  7. Granville Island, Vancouver (“possibly the most successful urban redevelopment ever seen in North America”)
  8. Greensburg Sustainable Comprehensive Plan
  9. High Line
  10. Lijnbaan in Rotterdam (“the first purpose-built pedestrian street”)  
  11. Lower Garden District, New Orleans (“vehicles do not dominate this neighborhood”)
  12. Marimont, Ohio (“charming historic architecture, lush foliage, award-winning schools and friendly, community-minded residents”)
  13. Nine Square Plan, New Haven, Connecticut (“following the principles of ideal cities gleaned from the Bible”)
  14. Ponce Center City, Puerto Rico
  15. Sanibel Island, Florida (“nine major ecological zones”)
  16. South Livermore Valley Specific Plan, California (“3,229 acres under permanent agricultural easement”)
  17. Taos, Pueblo, New Mexico (“Possibly one of the earliest high-rise towns”)
  18. The Law of the Indies (“instructions for site selection and the layout and construction of new towns”)
  19. The Miami Valley (Ohio) Region’s Fair Share Housing Plan of 1970 (“the first ‘fair share’ housing plan in the nation”)
  20. The Plan of Philadelphia (“the first large American city to utilize the grid street pattern, to provide dedicated land exclusively for open green public squares”)

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“After three years of false starts, there is renewed interest in a congestion pricing plan for the Chicago area. From the Chicago Tribune: “‘The public understands that unpredictable traffic conditions make everyday driving like a game of roulette,’ said Joseph Schwieterman, an urban transportation expert at DePaul University. ‘Congestion pricing is about the only weapon we have in our arsenal to encourage more efficient use of our expressways [and tollways].’”

Chicago Drivers Inch Toward Congestion Pricing | Planetizen

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