• Street trees: A wonder of climate adaptation

    Street trees have many benefits, but their climate impact is becoming more important all the time.
    Urban trees are among the most powerful tools that designers can use to help communities both mitigate and adapt to climate change. Trees are like outdoor air conditioners that operate as carbon sinks. The cooling impact of a single healthy tree from evaporation and absorbing sunlight “is...Read more

  • Plan would transform SoHo streetscapes

    The SoHo Broadway plan would greatly increase space for pedestrians and cyclists in the iconic Manhattan neighborhood, and be implemented over the next two decades.
    A Manhattan business improvement district (BID), the SoHo Broadway Initiative, seeks to revamp the streets in one of the densest, most distinct neighborhoods in America. The SoHo Broadway Public Realm Framework + Vision Plan , designed by Street Plans Collaborative with support from Karp Strategies...Read more

  • Rightsizing the automobile for local mobility

    Neighborhood electric vehicles offer a better local transportation option in light of climate threats, but the design of streets would need to change.
    Half of the work of urban design is deciding where to store cars. It’s a common lament of urban design professionals. In my community, controversy is brewing because Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and housing advocates want to build housing on a BART station ’ s surface parking lots. As usual NIMBYs...Read more

  • How to prepare communities for climate change

    The Climate Planner offers a wealth of experience and advice for planners confronting climate change in community plans.
    “Think globally, act locally,” has been an environmental mantra for at least 30 years. For local communities, acting on climate change begins with a plan—which makes urban planners a linchpin in this issue. And yet planners may be averse to getting in the middle of another political hot-button...Read more