Cities by the sea

A tale of two marine citiesai??i?? Bordeaux & Vancouver have much in common Ocean location Temperate climate Situated on a major tidal river A large natural seaport Extensive transport links, river, rail, air & road to the hinterland Comparable land area, both city & metropolitan areas An outstanding urban and architectural ensemble City Land Area […]

Myth: Viable public transport requires high population densities

Common Urban Myths About Transport Myth: Viable public transport requires high population densities Fact: Public transport runs successfully in many cities with similar or lower population densities than Melbourne. Any city with sufficient population density to cause traffic congestion has sufficient population to support a first-rate public transport alternative. This is probably the most widely […]

Some Facts To Counter The Myths About Higher Density

Ai?? Ai??Reconnecting America http://reconnectingamerica.org/ Development & Redevelopment, Economic Development And TOD, Research, Smart Growth & Sprawl, Transit Supportive Density, urban, Urban Form http://reconnectingamerica.org/news-center/half-mile-circles/2012/some-facts-to-counter-the-myths-about-higher-density/ A 2005 report “Some Facts To Counter The Myths About Higher Density,” authored by theAi??Urban Land Institute along with the National Multi Housing Council, Sierra Club and the American Institute of Architects, […]

Vancouver considers higher-density housing plans for Cambie Street corridor – Have we given land developers a $2.5 billion subsidy?

From the ‘Well I told you so department’. In Vancouver, expensive subways are built not to move people, but toAi??subsidize land development. Readers of the Rail for the Valley blog know that this announcement was predicted and why there much hype and hoopla in the mainstream media with the recently opened Canada line metro; the […]

The Sunday Supplement Essay

The fall out from Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts State of the City report Tuesday, has raged far & wide in the BC papers and on the blogosphere, not unexpectedly much of the debate has centered on the link between transport or transit, development or land use and city planning, residential unit design or population density. […]

High density urban living, not neccessary for good public transport

Units not crucial for good public transport, study finds Andrew West, January 5, 2011 RESIDENTS of Australia's outer suburbs do not have to wait for higher housing densities before getting better public transport, according to new research, which could defuse one of urban planning's biggest controversies. In a paper for the journal Australian Planner, Dr […]

International Comparisons of Urban Light Rail Systems

Three references, on the subject of International comparisons of Light Rail systems are posted for information purposes and education. 1) The roles of integrated ticketing, pedestrianisation and population density   http://www.raumplanung.uni-dortmund.de/rwp/ersa2002/cd-rom/papers/167.pdf                                                         […]