Each week we will be focusing on blogs from around the world dealing specifically with urban environments. We’ll be on the lookout for websites outside the country that approach themes related to urban experiences and issues.
• TreeHugger reports on a new development of microhomes in Portland, OR. The developer, D.R. Horton, is choosing to build multiple dwellings between 364 and 687 sq. ft. rather than one giant home on the large lot . It is hoped that recently relaxed regulations on such dwellings will help to spur similar developments and the density and active transportation benefits they bring.
• Across the country, Portland, ME’s jetport is going geothermal. A new ground-source heat pump drawing energy from beneath the employee parking lots will keep travelling Mainers warm through the state’s long winter. (Grist)
• Think you’ve got parking down to a science? The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority has you beat. The city has just launched an online database which uses sensors across the city to provide real-time parking spot availability data. To top it off, the city vows to use the system to adjust prices monthly to keep 15% of space on every block free at all times. (The Pedestrianist)
• Next time you begrudge a pigeon, remember that it likely has a larger brain than its country-dwelling bretheren. Grist reports on a recent study which suggests that large-brained birds tend to colonize in cities. Researchers suggested that large brains enable urban songbirds to adapt to the novel environment.
Image from wili_hybrid