TOPIC: CITIES (31)
City Form Lab
http://cityform.mit.edu/en.htmlThe City Form Lab at the Singapore University of Technology & Design in collaboration with the School of Architecture & Planning at MIT focuses on empirical studies of urban form. We develop new software tools for researching city form; use cutting-edge spatial analysis and statistics to investigate how the physical pattern of urban infrastructure affects the social, environmental and economic quality of urban environments; and develop creative design and policy solutions for contemporary urban challenges. By bringing together multi-diciplinary urban research expertise and excellence in design, we develop context sensitive and timely insight about the role of urban form in affecting the quality of life in 21st century cities.
Sustainable Cities International
http://sustainablecities.net/Founded in 1993, Sustainable Cities International is a registered not-for-profit organization based in Vancouver, Canada. Our mission is to co-create with cities around the world, to catalyze action on urban sustainability. We are a think-tank and a do-tank!
Walkonomics
http://www.walkonomics.comWalkonomics aims to rate the pedestrian-friendliness of every street in the world. By enabling ordinary people and local communities to add a rating of any street, it is hoped that a realistic walkability score will be created for each street. Where available, public datasets are also used to add ratings and provide more quantitative reviews. By harnessing the power of 'crowd-sourcing', social media and open data, Walkonomics aims to become a self-organising system where users correct any inaccuracies or errors in street reviews.
In addition to this, Walkonomics also provides an interactive online space, where local people, government and business can suggest, discuss and create walkability improvements for our streets, neighbourhoods and cities.
Partners for Livable Communities
http://livable.org/Partners for Livable Communities is a national nonprofit organization working to restore and renew the communities we work and live in. Partners has over thirty years of experience in solving community problems by providing information, leadership and guidance that help communities help themselves. We welcome the opportunity to bring our experience to your community.
GOOD Ideas for Cities
http://www.good.is/ideas/postsGOOD Ideas for Cities taps creative problem solvers to tackle real urban challenges and present the solutions at live events across the country.
Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC)
http://www.icic.orgThe Initiative for a Competitive Inner City is a nonprofit research and strategy organization and the leading authority on U.S. inner city economies and the businesses that thrive there. Founded in 1994 by Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter, ICIC strengthens inner city economies by providing businesses, governments and investors with the most comprehensive and actionable information in the field about urban market opportunities.
Beacon Food Forest
http://www.beaconfoodforest.orgA Food Forest is a gardening technique or land management system that mimics a woodland ecosystem but substitutes in edible trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals. Fruit and nut trees are the upper level, while below are berry shrubs, edible perennials and annuals. Companions or beneficial plants are included to attract insects for natural pest management while some plants are soil amenders providing nitrogen and mulch. Together they create relationships to form a forest garden ecosystem able to produce high yields of food with less maintenance.
New Urbanism
http://www.newurbanism.orgNEW URBANISM promotes the creation and restoration of diverse, walkable, compact, vibrant, mixed-use communities composed of the same components as conventional development, but assembled in a more integrated fashion, in the form of complete communities.
Stereopublic
http://www.stereopublic.netStereopublic: crowdsourcing the quiet is a participatory art project that asks you to navigate your city for quiet spaces, share them with your social networks, take audio and visual snapshots, experience audio tours and request original compositions made using your recordings.
The Urban Etiquette Project
http://urbanetiquetteproject.blogspot.caThe Urban Etiquette Project is set of downloadable, printable cards designed to start a conversation about manners, civility and public etiquette in the urban sphere. The project offers cards to point out unfavourable behaviour, as well as citations for acknowledging random acts of kindness.
Chicago Trees Initiative
http://www.chicagotrees.netThe Chicago Trees Initiative is a city-wide, public-private effort to plant, care for and advocate for trees. This means many more trees will be planted in our great city, which is already known for its green urban spaces. And more important, existing trees will have better care – the best strategy for meeting our urban forest canopy goal. Every Chicago resident – and indeed, anyone who cares about trees has an important role to play. The goal invites all of us to be involved in planting and caring for trees on public and private land throughout the city.
Citizinvestor
http://www.citizinvestor.comCitizinvestor allows citizens to invest in the local government projects they care about most.
Local governments submit pre-approved projects to citizinvestor.com. The cost of the project has already been set and department approved, the only thing lacking is the funding. Citizens then find the projects they care about most and invest financially in those projects. Once a project is 100% pledged, the project is built! Citizens don’t pay a dime unless the project is funded in full. This ensures that there’s little risk to the local government entity and little risk to the citizen.
Urban Life International
http://www.ulicanada.org/Urban Life International is an independent research training organization with the desire to foment a better understanding and response to the urban challenge. The urban challenge has been described as the need to transform concrete and steel into communities of health and hope. The people who live in cities are caught in-between segregation and integration, diversity and distinction, and density and privacy. Their quality of life is determined in how they respond to these challenges.
Creative Mornings
http://www.creativemornings.com/CreativeMornings is a monthly breakfast lecture series for creative types held in major cities internationally. Each event is free of charge, and includes a 20 minute talk, plus coffee!
Pavement to Parks
http://pavementtoparks.orgSan Francisco's streets and public rights-of-way make up 25% of the city's land area, more space than all the park area combined. Many of our streets are excessively wide and contain large zones of underutilized space, especially at intersections. San Francisco's "Pavement to Parks" program seeks to temporarily reclaim these unused swathes of land and quickly and inexpensively turn them into new public spaces.
