A new study has collected data from more than 7000 neighbourhoods to find the most bikeable streets in America. Six of the top 10 neighbourhoods scored a perfect 100, and three of those perfect scores come from the college town of Davis, California.

According to their webpage, “it is the goal of the City of Davis to create and maintain an integrated system of bikeways. The City recognizes the need to encourage bicycle travel for both transportation & recreation and works to promote bicycle use as a viable, attractive, non-polluting form of transportation and assure safe and convenient access to all areas of the city.” There is even a bicycle incorporated into the town’s logo.

The Bike Score – which is similar to Walk Score – took into account bike lanes, hills, and road connectivity to score bikeability.

More than 50% of American neighbourhoods studied scored lower than 50 out of 100.

Incidentally, Toronto has a Bike Score of 56 and Calgary – one of the most bikeable cities in Canada – scored 91.

Via Atlantic Cities. Photo via Wikicommons.

Urban Planet is a roundup of blogs from around the world dealing specifically with urban environments. For more stories from around the planet, check out Spacing on Facebook and Twitter.

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Sitting like a mirage in the desert, Masdar City might just be on the frontier of a new – environmental friendly – urban life.

The city is an $18 billion  project in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and is scheduled to be completed by 2015. It will be home to 40,000 residents within a two square mile radius, where cars are simply not allowed. Each building in the city being toted as carbon-neutral and residents are transported about via PRTs (Personal Rapid Transit) pods.

A 148-foot tower draws cool air down to create a perpetual breeze in the courtyard of the Masdar Institute.

Via Popsci

Urban Planet is a roundup of blogs from around the world dealing specifically with urban environments. For more stories from around the planet, check out Spacing on Facebook and Twitter.

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Last VT image: Grouse Mountain at night, Vancouver.

***

Erick Villagomez is one of the founding editors at Spacing Vancouver. He is also an educator, independent researcher and designer with personal and professional interests in the urban landscapes. His private practice – Metis Design|Build – is an innovative practice dedicated to a collaborative and ecologically responsible approach to the design and construction of places. You can also see some of his drawing and digital painting adventures at Visual Thoughts.

The post Visual Thoughts appeared first on Spacing National.

Believe it or not there’s a ton of fat in the sewers of London, England and it’s a real problem. In what might just be the worst job ever, city workers have to manually unclog sewers and remove the excess fat.

A new power plant – to be built by 2015 – looks to take all this excess fat, oil and grease (FOG) and use it to generate enough electricity for 39,000 homes. Used greased from restaurant deep-fryers will also be used.

London sewers have 80,000 blockages annually. More than 30,000 tonnes of fat will be delivered to the new plant everyday.

Via Treehugger.

Urban Planet is a roundup of blogs from around the world dealing specifically with urban environments. For more stories from around the planet, check out Spacing on Facebook and Twitter.

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How do you get around your city? Do you cycle? Would you like to cycle? What influences your decision?

There have been numerous attempts to encourage a shift towards active transportation and cycling. The most high profile of these have focused on the construction of physical infrastructure such as separated bicycle lanes, bike parking and destination amenities such as change-rooms and showering facilities. Due to tight city budgets and the slow pace of infrastructure development, cities like Toronto have lagged behind other urban centres which have fast-tracked their cycling infrastructure. In spite of this, Toronto has greatly increased its cycling population. A recent Toronto study estimates the increase in the number of cyclists, from 2001 to 2006, to be as much as 30%. While this increase shows positive signs, there is still significant room to grow.

Researchers from the Toronto Cycling Think & Do Tank have been working on the development of A Toolkit to Accelerate the Adoption of Cycling for Transportation. This toolkit takes an original approach: linking behaviour change theory and cycling promotion. The toolkit is based on a thorough review of existing scholarly literature and builds on the practical components of successful cycling programs from around the world. The result is an evidence-based, adaptable model, providing a guideline for a cycling promotion program design.

The Toronto Cycling Think & Do Tank will be using this toolkit in a pilot project in 2013. The idea is to move beyond “traditional” cycling campaigns – which often strive to raise awareness, promote the benefits of cycling and provide information. While these initiatives do play a role, many studies have concluded that knowledge and information campaigns alone do not lead to actual behaviour change. The Toolkit to Accelerate the Adoption of Cycling for Transportation recommends a more supported, targeted and “give it a try” approach to cycling encouragement, including these general steps:

1> Segment Target Population

2> Identify & Remove Barriers

3> Implement Commitment Strategies

4> Sustain Behaviour Change

+ Ongoing social support through modeling, local hubs & periodic events

An important additional factor, and one that must be ongoing, is the use of various techniques to draw people in and inspire widespread participation. Techniques such as pledges, small incentives to encourage initial involvement, the creation of social support networks or local cycling hubs, the presence of an enthusiastic cycling “champion” to model the desired behaviour, and periodic, large-scale community events to keep new, as well as experienced, cyclists motivated are some examples of engagement tools. These elements involve the target audience, instill a sense of ownership in the program and help sustain the behaviour change.

The first step, in the process, is to identify and understand the target audience. This could be a particular demographic group: school children, female non-cyclists or senior occasional cyclists, as examples. Ideally the group is one that will, for a variety of reasons, be amenable to cycling. We know, for example, that populations making big changes in their lives are often open to additional new behaviours. Once the group is identified, a more individualized, targeted intervention can be developed and applied.

While education, awareness and information can affect and shape attitudes and intention; barriers ultimately mediate whether they are expressed through behaviour. Common barriers to cycling include fear, perception of safety, perceived lack of comfort, distance, negative stereotypes related to the “image” of a cyclist and the power of habit as a determinant of travel behaviour. Ultimately, it is when barriers, both internally and externally, are low that behaviour change programs are effective.

It is fascinating to see the success of countless cycle encouragement programs in Toronto and around the world. Many incorporate one or more of the steps and tactics presented in the toolkit. Our research suggests the combination of these steps will be more powerful than single interventions. The wheel does not need to be developed from scratch – rather the programs that already exist can be supplemented and looped into a larger framework, in partnership with local community groups. Our work is about expanding, enhancing and connecting communities and activities that support cycling.

For more information, please visit www.torontocycling.org

Or email info@torontocycling.org

Emma Cohlmeyer recently completed her Masters in Urban Planning at the University of Toronto. She has always been intrigued by urban life, cities and the built environment. She is fascinated by the dynamic and diverse ways that people are able to shape and influence their city, while at the same time how urban form is able to shape its population.

Photo by Daniel Gueorguiev

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Written by James L. Sipes—a landscape architect and environmental planner—and Mathew L. Sipes—a civil engineer—the book benefits from both authors professional experience as it brings together the disciplines of architecture, planning and engineering—all of which are indispensible when creating roadways—and presents them as a single integrated perspective. This approach makes the book more accessible without skimping on technical details.

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As it stands, the Miami Beach Convention Center is nowhere near being the standard for green sustainable architecture, but that’s about to change.

Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has unveiled plans to transform the 52-acre site, creating the Miami Beach Square, a pedestrian-friendly space in front of the center. The renovations of the existing building will include an ambitious green roof which will also support art exhibitions.

The entire project is meant to revitalize the area: the new Miami Beach Square will act as a front door to the Convention Center.

Via Inhabitat

Urban Planet is a roundup of blogs from around the world dealing specifically with urban environments. For more stories from around the planet, check out Spacing on Facebook and Twitter.

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Is there a set of stairs on your way to work that you always trip on?

In New York, Dean Peterson decided to explore why everyone trips on a certain set of stairs. It turns out that the stair is a fraction of an inch higher than all the rest, sending nearly every stair-climber toppling.

As you can see in this short video, it’s no laughing matter.

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/44807536#[/vimeo]

Via ManMade

Urban Planet is a roundup of blogs from around the world dealing specifically with urban environments. For more stories from around the planet, check out Spacing on Facebook and Twitter.

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 photo by Sam Javanrouh

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After the flame of the games moves on to its next city, life returns to normal. Massive construction projects, signs, trinkets, and mascots all combined to showcase the host nation, but once the crowds move on what happens to those Olympic venues?

Photographers Jon Pack and Gary Hustwit went out around the world to examine host cities post-Olympics. The images include abandoned swimming pools, rusted buildings, worn out tracks, and discarded mascots. This is all part of their photo project The Olympic City.

Beijing games in 2008 cost between $40 and $44-billion making them the most expensive games ever.

Via CNN.

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