New City Parking Ordinance to “Turn Montrose into a Parking Lot”

Posted on by

While the amendment is aimed at solving the congested parking dilemma, it is clear that this amendment would have severe implications for the spatial use of our city. Businesses required to increase their parking would either redistribute their land or acquire more land for a parking lot. It could also mean the end of many small businesses, since some establishments are confined by space and any establishment can be fined $100 to $500 dollars each day they are not in compliance with the parking ordinance. It is clear that the creators of the amendment are aware of the fatal implications for small businesses since they included a clause for Historic Landmark buildings to be exempt from the ordinance.

Source: Free Press Houston.

A Warning for Airbnb Hosts, Who May Be Breaking the Law

Posted on by

New York City officials don’t come looking for you unless your neighbor, doorman or janitor has complained to the authorities about the strangers traipsing around. “It’s not the bargain that somebody who bought or rented an apartment struck, that their neighbors could change by the day,” said John Feinblatt, the chief adviser to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg for policy and strategic planning and the criminal justice coordinator. The city is also concerned with fire safety and maintaining at least some availability of rental inventory for people who actually live there.

Source: NYTimes.

8 Urban Policy Ideas for Obama’s 2nd Term

Posted on by

If the next president wants to find a way to jump start innovation and entrepreneurship, consumer spending, the housing market, and yes, the creation of jobs, focusing on policy areas that strengthen America’s cities is a no-brainer, regardless of party affiliation. (Or at least, it should be.)

And so below you’ll find eight of our favorite federal urban policy ideas, gathered in advance of Tuesday’s election results, that we now hope someone on President Obama’s team will print out and tape to their forehead.

Source: The Atlantic Cities.

Is It Better to Buy or Rent?

Posted on by

Whether renting is better than buying depends on many factors, particularly how fast prices and rents rise and how long you stay in your home. Compare the costs of buying and renting a home in the calculator below. Click the ADVANCED SETTINGS button to change inputs such as your rate of return on investments, condo/common fees and your tax bracket.

Source: NYTimes.

Amazing interactive graphic that makes decision-making for one of your most important decisions a bit easier.

Distressed Cities Conference

Posted on by

Virginia Tech’s School of Public and International Affairs has initiated a conference and research series promoting interdisciplinary discussion in order to overcome the disciplinary limitations in understanding social phenomena and in suggesting solutions to problems. The first conference took place this April and focused on distressed cities.

Our approach is twofold: First we aim for a progressive interdisciplinary exchange during the conferences. Second, we generate a research network between SPIA faculty and students and external scholars and artists, with the goal of producing edited volumes from the research that sparks off at our conferences.

Source: Distressed Cities.

Why preserving Mumbai’s heritage is preserving Marathi asmita

Posted on by

Here are some of the architects and architecture firms who designed most of the buildings in the Shivaji Park locality at this time: G. B. Mhatre, S. H. Parelkar, V. M. Suvarnapatki, R. K. Joshi, D. P. Borkar, S. J. Narvekar, G. D. Sambhare, G. W. Marathe, D. G. Vaidya, S. M. Kini; Patki, Jadhav & Dadarkar, Jaykar & Gupchup, Parelkar, Ovalekar, Gore & Parpia and the Dhurandhar brothers. The buildings around Shivaji Park, Five Gardens and the Dadar-Matunga estate were predominantly designed by pioneering Marathi Manoos. Seeking to destroy them today in the name of redevelopment is to erase an essential, eighty year old built heritage that contributed to the Marathi asmita (pride) of the city, just as much as the poets and litterateurs of the language did.

Source: Firstpost.

Proud to say that two of the names above are that of my grandfathers.

How Google Builds Its Maps—and What It Means for the Future of Everything

Posted on by

Behind every Google Map, there is a much more complex map that's the key to your queries but hidden from your view. The deep map contains the logic of places: their no-left-turns and freeway on-ramps, speed limits and traffic conditions. This is the data that you're drawing from when you ask Google to navigate you from point A to point B — and last week, Google showed me the internal map and demonstrated how it was built. It's the first time the company has let anyone watch how the project it calls GT, or "Ground Truth," actually works.

[Link to How Google Builds Its Maps—and What It Means for the Future of Everything]