Urban morphology and the post-carbon city: 18th International Seminar on Urban Form. Montreal, 26-29 August, 2011

Posted on: 31 August 2011
By: mackene
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The International Seminar on Urban Form (ISUF)  is the international organisation of urban form for researchers and practitioners. It was inaugurated in 1994, bringing together urban morphologists worldwide.  It seeks to advance research and practice in fields concerned with the built environment. The 18th International Seminar aimed to explore the contributions of urban morphology to current debates on cities and key environmental challenges of our times. The event considered: urban morphological theory; urban morphology, planning and design; case studies of urban form around the globe; and urban morphology with regard to climate or climate change,urban mega-projects, transportation, brownfield redevelopment, walkability, health impacts, automobile suburbs, urban heritage, and the pre-carbon city. Other issues covered included: geospatial technology in urban morphology; urban form and environmental performance; and typological research and design. Over 50 full text versions of papers presented at the event are available online.

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5th World Congress of Cities for Mobility. Stuttgart, 3-5 July 2011

Posted on: 31 July 2011
By: mackene
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The aim of this year’s congress was to define the concept of social space and to find solutions to the challenges of future mobility strengthening human relationships and focusing on the local scale. In contrast to the private space, public space offers a platform for communication and sojourning, a market place and a stage for urban life. This way public space transforms into social space, in which mobility plays an important but not the decisive role. Videos and presentations, together with the International Charter for Walking, are available online.

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Re-imaging Garden Cities for the 21st Century: Benefits and lessons in bringing forward comprehensively planned new communities

Posted on: 6 July 2011
By: mackene
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A new report by the Town and Country Planning Association calls for Britain to re-discover its planning heritage in creating high quality, beautiful and inclusive places. It argues that we must re-discover and re-imagine the garden city principles if we are to overcome the stigma of building new communities that has come from too many poor developments with inadequate infrastructure provision.

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Sustainable urban neighbourhoods

Posted on: 1 July 2011
By: mackene
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The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published a summary of the work of the Sustainable Urban Neighbourhoods Network (SUNN) which is considering whether it is possible to meet the nation’s growing need for affordable new homes while adapting to change and meeting environmental needs. Focusing on ‘urban extensions’ to existing towns and cities, this summary draws on case studies to provide recommendations about the best way for Britain’s house builders and developers to create sustainable new communities. It highlights the need to focus on strategic spatial planning, better urban design and leaner construction, and recommends areas to be considered, including options for creative finance that address high land costs and reduce construction costs, the relationship between transport engineering and creating public spaces in new communities, long-term stewardship models and localism and the role of parish councils.

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