“It’s unanimous: El Paso commits to a smarter, greener future Kaid Benfield. Earlier this week, the city council of El Paso, the nation’s 19th-largest city, unanimously adopted a detailed comprehensive plan built around the principles of smart growth and green development.  With significant economic importance and a rich cultural history, but plagued with sprawling recent development patterns coupled with alarming rates of land consumption and carbon pollution, the city constructed Plan El Paso over the past two years.  It is among the best, most articulate comprehensive plans I have ever seen. In January of last year, I reviewed Connecting El Paso, a precursor to the new comprehensive plan that focused on four key transit station areas.  I called the document“a comprehensive guide to smart growth design and implementation” and predicted that it would be a winner when the year’s planning awards were handed out.  Sure enough, in December the US Environmental Protection Agency honored the draft of Plan El Pasowith a national award for achievement in smart growth, judging the effort as the year’s best example of outstanding “programs, policies and regulations.” The plan has actually gotten better, and certainly more detailed (it runs some 900 pages in all) since I reviewed its predecessor.  Early on, the new document makes clear that it is time for a bold new vision and commitment: “In recent years health problems such as obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and the maladies associated with social alienation have become a normal response to a built-environ­ment that does not allow walking or facilitate human interac­tion. The young and the elderly of El Paso, especially, have been left behind by urban forms that necessitate driving long dis­tances. The plan proposes strategies to bring more of the activi­ties of daily living within walking distance and a framework of transportation alternatives including transit and bicycle systems. Encouraging walkability helps create healthy life styles. Building complete places that enable neighbors to know each other will help create and retain close-knit communities … “The plan recognizes the indispensability of beauty, not as some­thing separate and apart from life like pictures in a gallery, but beauty in homes, neighborhoods, civic buildings, streets, and public spaces. In this way Plan El Paso aims not to return to a vanished time, but rather to grow a choiceworthy contem­porary City based on cherished and enduring values. The plan revives the idea that additions to the built-environment must be functional and long-lasting but also delightful and attractive. Plan El Paso recognizes that design matters.” Via: National Resources Defense Council Image: Dover Kohl & Partners via Plan El Paso via massurban:

“It’s unanimous: El Paso commits to a smarter, greener future

Kaid Benfield.

Earlier this week, the city council of El Paso, the nation’s 19th-largest city, unanimously adopted a detailed comprehensive plan built around the principles of smart growth and green development.  With significant economic importance and a rich cultural history, but plagued with sprawling recent development patterns coupled with alarming rates of land consumption and carbon pollution, the city constructed Plan El Paso over the past two years.  It is among the best, most articulate comprehensive plans I have ever seen.

In January of last year, I reviewed Connecting El Paso, a precursor to the new comprehensive plan that focused on four key transit station areas.  I called the document“a comprehensive guide to smart growth design and implementation” and predicted that it would be a winner when the year’s planning awards were handed out.  Sure enough, in December the US Environmental Protection Agency honored the draft of Plan El Pasowith a national award for achievement in smart growth, judging the effort as the year’s best example of outstanding “programs, policies and regulations.”

The plan has actually gotten better, and certainly more detailed (it runs some 900 pages in all) since I reviewed its predecessor.  Early on, the new document makes clear that it is time for a bold new vision and commitment:

“In recent years health problems such as obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and the maladies associated with social alienation have become a normal response to a built-environ­ment that does not allow walking or facilitate human interac­tion. The young and the elderly of El Paso, especially, have been left behind by urban forms that necessitate driving long dis­tances. The plan proposes strategies to bring more of the activi­ties of daily living within walking distance and a framework of transportation alternatives including transit and bicycle systems. Encouraging walkability helps create healthy life styles. Building complete places that enable neighbors to know each other will help create and retain close-knit communities …

“The plan recognizes the indispensability of beauty, not as some­thing separate and apart from life like pictures in a gallery, but beauty in homes, neighborhoods, civic buildings, streets, and public spaces. In this way Plan El Paso aims not to return to a vanished time, but rather to grow a choiceworthy contem­porary City based on cherished and enduring values. The plan revives the idea that additions to the built-environment must be functional and long-lasting but also delightful and attractive. Plan El Paso recognizes that design matters.”

Via: National Resources Defense Council

Image: Dover Kohl & Partners via Plan El Paso

via massurban:

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Should Building Taller Be Much, Much Easier? In early December, the city council of Austin, Texas, adopted an exhaustive downtown plan that will guide every element of the neighborhood’s transformation over the next 25 years, from its historic preservation policies to investments in workforce housing to parking and transit infrastructure. Amid all of those potentially touchy topics, though, the loudest row grew out of one program sketched on just five pages of the full 183-page document. via architecturelab:

Should Building Taller Be Much, Much Easier?

In early December, the city council of Austin, Texas, adopted an exhaustive downtown plan that will guide every element of the neighborhood’s transformation over the next 25 years, from its historic preservation policies to investments in workforce housing to parking and transit infrastructure. Amid all of those potentially touchy topics, though, the loudest row grew out of one program sketched on just five pages of the full 183-page document.

via architecturelab:

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Houston Gets $10 Million Private EV Charging Network

A common argument against electric cars is the lack infrastructure to support them. All those gas stations didn’t pop up overnight though. Houston, Texas is taking the first steps to installing its own network of public and private charging stations.

The network is being installed by a private firm, NRG Energy. By the end of 2011, they hope to have between 50 and 150 public charging stations installed. This is just in time for the scheduled rollout of the Ford Focus Electric. The charging stations will be placed in business districts, supermarkets, by condos and apartments, and in other conspicuous locations. Many of the charging stations will be of the Stage 2 and 3 variety. That is enough juice to charge most electric vehicles in just a half hour.

This isn’t just a free service though. NRG Energy is setting up an online system called evGo. For a three-year contract and $89 a month, you get unlimited home charging (electricity included) as well as unlimited access to all the public charging stations. This also supposedly includes the cost of the home charging station. That is about the cost of three fill-ups, depending on what and how you drive. Good news for the electric car front, and in the heart of domestic oil country too!

Source: Inhabitat

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Engaging Urbanites: SpeakUpAustin

As the Community Engagement Consultant at the City of Austin (TX), I’ve helped design and launch speakupaustin.org, one of the few public participation portals in the U.S.  The portal is designed to make it clearer and easier for Austinites to engage in robust public policy dialogues across multiple subjects and departments.  Many city residents want to have a say in the future of their city, but it’s too difficult or intimidating (or both) to attend and/or participate in a community meeting.  Speakupaustin.org is designed to give everyone an opportunity to participate quickly, meaningfully, and effectively, and to interact with our residents with other points of view.

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SkyHook and SimpleGeo Present SpotRank, Now You Can Always Find Where The People Are - O’Reilly Radar Skyhook Wireless released a huge set of location trend data. SpotRank, as the data is called, shares out ranking trends for locations around the world. The maps above show the SpotRanks of those locations.  

SkyHook and SimpleGeo Present SpotRank, Now You Can Always Find Where The People Are - O’Reilly Radar

Skyhook Wireless released a huge set of location trend data. SpotRank, as the data is called, shares out ranking trends for locations around the world. The maps above show the SpotRanks of those locations.  

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datavis: Best Small Cities to Buy A House

datavis:

Best Small Cities to Buy A House

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Even if you attended or viewed some of the videos from our New York City Smarter Cities event in October, you’ll find that last week’s first-ever Smarter Cities Virtual Forum affords a deeper dive into some of the key issues and smarter solutions that cities from Richmond, Virginia (public safety) to Las Vegas, Nevada (transportation) are undertaking today. One of the nice features of hosting the event virtually is the ability to deliver the presentations to you, in their entirety, on demand. IBM’s new General Manager for North America, Bridget van Kralingen opened the forum with an update on our Smarter Cities initiatives and on what we’re seeing come out of these important conversations, as more people understand and embrace its vision. Cities are taking their first steps, piloting projects to improve efficiency and lower costs: The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC WASA) is working with IBM to analyze and revitalize its aging water and sewer system. Relationships are deepening: IBM completed an automatic metering project with Houston-based Centerpoint Energy, and now the utility is engaging with us for a Smart Grid project. Understanding and awareness are growing: Fordham University in New York has developed a new business analytics curriculum, preparing students with the needed skills to address key challenges – from reforming healthcare, to making buildings more energy efficient, to improving delivery of public services. Cross-industry connections are being made: Sempra Energy, based in San Diego, is partnering with grocery retailer Kroger developing charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. (via A Smarter Planet Blog)

Even if you attended or viewed some of the videos from our New York City Smarter Cities event in October, you’ll find that last week’s first-ever Smarter Cities Virtual Forum affords a deeper dive into some of the key issues and smarter solutions that cities from Richmond, Virginia (public safety) to Las Vegas, Nevada (transportation) are undertaking today. One of the nice features of hosting the event virtually is the ability to deliver the presentations to you, in their entirety, on demand.

IBM’s new General Manager for North America, Bridget van Kralingen opened the forum with an update on our Smarter Cities initiatives and on what we’re seeing come out of these important conversations, as more people understand and embrace its vision.

Cities are taking their first steps, piloting projects to improve efficiency and lower costs: The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC WASA) is working with IBM to analyze and revitalize its aging water and sewer system.

Relationships are deepening: IBM completed an automatic metering project with Houston-based Centerpoint Energy, and now the utility is engaging with us for a Smart Grid project.

Understanding and awareness are growing: Fordham University in New York has developed a new business analytics curriculum, preparing students with the needed skills to address key challenges – from reforming healthcare, to making buildings more energy efficient, to improving delivery of public services.

Cross-industry connections are being made: Sempra Energy, based in San Diego, is partnering with grocery retailer Kroger developing charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

(via A Smarter Planet Blog)

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SeeClickFix Manor

The City of Manor is a small community of 6,500 people on the outskirts of Austin, Texas.  Manor is most notably known for the creation of one of the first crowdsourced research & development divisions of government, called Manor Labs (http://www.manorlabs.org).  Another aspect of Manor that is quite unique is its work order system, otherwise known as SeeClickFix.

The City of Manor uses SeeClickFix to remodel the traditional work order process, bring transparency to work orders, and most importantly, to empower citizens to become involved in the problem solving process.  SeeClickFix allows citizens to participate in problem solving by bringing the process to their browser, mobile device, telephone, etc.

Here’s a YouTube video that visually demonstrates how SeeClickFix has changed our agency: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ED53tKngF4M

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