Urban Planning Blog

Without zoning our cities would be denser, more eco-friendly, cheaper to live in, more able to produce economies of agglomeration, and more immigrants would benefit from American prosperity [source].

Tyler Cowen tries to understand the role of zoning in promoting urban density and makes the above presumption. Except it isn’t always true. Houston, one of the largest cities in the U.S. has no zoning per se (has highly restrictive deed restrictions though) but yet is one of the sprawling cities in the nation. It has no downtown to be proud of and although high-rise condos are springing up inside the beltway, growth outside the ring far outstrips that trend. Also, as some commenters in the above-linked post mention, Houston is unique in the sense that high energy costs means the Houston economy is doing well which leads to more commute times.

On libertarian grounds, it helps to understand more about zoning and it isn’t necessarily one-size-fits-all strategy. As another commenter points out, zoning can vary from being simply designations for land use to micro-managing growth by monitoring every little change in structures. If lack of zoning results in a chaotic urbanscape like Houston, I rather prefer some form of zoning.

Presenting five designs for sustainable and urban farm towers that might revolutionize agriculture.

Unfortunately not all world cities are as exotic as you thought. Forbes compiles the list of the world’s dirtiest cities.

19 cities in the world with 20 million people in the 21st century. Read more on the mega trend of our century. The world is urbanizing rapidly whether you like it or not.

Bikes have their own traffic light in Budapest, Hungary.

Mukesh Ambani, India’s richest person is building a monstrous residence in the heart of densely-populated Mumbai. The structure is 490 feet tall and includes a corporate meeting facility along with his 35,000 square feet of private residence. Arzan however is impressed by the architectural aspects of the structure which might change the way high rises are built in dense Indian cities.

The total area occupied by all Wal-Mart stores is equal to the area of Manhattan. Now you wouldn’t want to live in a ‘Manhattan’ of Wal-Mart, would you?

In an age of MacMansions, it is a pleasure to see wafer-thin houses. Got any more around where you live?

It is almost common belief that well-lit areas reduce crime but is it really so? An article in New Yorker on light pollution mentions couple of points that depart from this perception. “In the early seventies, the public-school system in San Antonio, Texas, began leaving many of its school buildings, parking lots, and other property dark at night and found that the no-lights policy not only reduced energy costs but also dramatically cut vandalism.”

In fact, bright lights that we see light up deserted areas only provide a false illusion and crime in fact would be more effectively controlled if ’smart lighting’ i.e. controlled by infrared motion sensors.

Following the story that having obese friends can make you obese, come yet another study that claims that you can determine the obesity of people by the zip code they are living in. Additionally, the researchers add that “adults living in ZIP codes with the highest property values were the
slimmest, and those living in ZIP codes with the lowest property values
were the fattest.” Now if only someone would map out the various types of eating establishments in the area within the zip codes and match them with the obesity levels.

I posted images of the Tokyo flood control system sometime back. In a similar trend, the BLDGBLOG talked to urban explorer Michael Cook who loves traveling to subterranean civic infrastructure of Canada and northern New York State – and into those regions’ warehouses, factories, and crumbling hospitals. Cook’s website is smartly named, Vanishing Point.

I find his images and exploration of the neglected spaces of our urban infrastructure quite fascinating. He not only travels to places that we rather avoid but also examines the ecological consequences of our infrastructure, existing or decaying. He looks at these remnants of our civilization from the perspective of future archaeologists.

Mumbai is where I spent most of my life before heading west. Technically, it is the land of my ancestors although it is an immigrant city which incidentally is also the best thing about it. But the geography of the city i.e. the long peninsula stretching out along the mainland into the Arabian sea has a reassuring effect on the stressed life of its inhabitants.

The Mumbai Metroblogging Blog lists the seven most popular waterfront public locations that brings back memories. Professionally, waterfronts have been close to me since my design dissertation during my undergraduate years was based on waterfront revitalization.

Images from erstwhile Kowloon Walled City in Hongkong before it was demolished. It had a density of 1,900,000 /sq.km.

World's Slum Dwellers: More Like Us Than We Think.

Improving Public Space for all New Yorkers. The Design Trust is emphasizing conserving public space in the city of New York City.