ECONOMIA URBANA

Portland, Oregon, is going through an apartment construction boom. Forty projects are underway, and 25 of them have no parking, according to Oregon Public Radio. No minimum parking requirements allows developers to increase density on sites and create more affordable units. "Parking a site is the difference between a $750 apartment and a $1,200 apartment. Or, the difference between apartments and condos," says Dave Mullens of the Urban Development Group. Most of the sites are in walkable neighborhoods well served by public transit. Yet in some parts of the city, parking-free projects are generating controversy, because residents fear more competition for on-street parking spaces. Streetsblog also reported this story.

Designed to be used on its own or as a companion volume to the American Cities and Technology textbook. Chronologically, this volume ranges from the earliest technological dimensions of Amerindian settlements to the 'wired city' concept of the 1960s and internet communications of the 1990s.Its focus extends beyond the US to include telecomunications in Asian cities in the late 20th century. The topics covered: * the rise of the skyscraper *the coming of the automobile age * relations between private and public transport * the development of infrastructural technologies and systems * the implications of electronic communications * the emergence of city planning. « Menos

"Urban Dictionary is the dictionary you wrote"

Complete Works 3: Case Study: Japan ///  This free digital publication makes texts and studies available on the subject of shrinking cities in Japan. It is the first of its kind to provide concise insight into the Japanese discussion about processes of urban shrinkage, population loss, migration, aging, and declining economic performance. The downloadable PDF files contain more than 300 pages of studies and research in Japanese and English by twentyfour authors. It provides information on the subject in general, on shrinking cities and demographic transition in Japan, and focuses on Hakodate/Hokkaido and other Japanese Cities.  Download PDF: Introduction (1MB) Chapter 1 (7MB) Chapter 2 (7 MB) Chapter 3 (1,6 MB) Chapter 4 (1,3 MB) Chapter 5 (8 MB) Chapter 6 (4,5 MB)    Project-partner Hidetoshi Ohno (Tokyo University) is publishing in the coming weeks the book "SHRINKING NIPPON" (Published by Kajima Institute Publishing Co., Ltd. in Tokyo, 2008) based on the discussions during the Exhibition Shrinking City X Fiber City, Tokyo 2007. The book contains also a DVD, containing eleven films (Japanese/English, ca. 85 minutes) by Shrinking Cities. Besides an analytical documentation and mapping of the Hakodate case study, it provides a general introduction to the subject. It also contains an animated world map of shrinking cities as well as video documentations and dynamic mapping of five international examples of shrinking cities and includes both cultural studies and examples of models for action (with films by Antje Ehmann/Harun Farocki, Alsop Architects/squint opera, the complizen, the Chaos Computer Club, and others). For people outside Japan, the DVD can be ordered separately for 20 Euro prepayment: press@shrinkingcities.com

Cities are shrinking all over the world! /// Shrinking cities are a cultural challenge to us. In the Shrinking Cities project, architects, academics and artists investigate recent developments in Detroit, Ivanovo, Manchester / Liverpool and Halle / Leipzig - and make suggestions. Shrinking cities is a project (2002-2008) of the Federal Cultural Foundation, under the direction of Philipp Oswalt (Berlin) in co-operation with the Leipzig Gallery of Contemporary Art, the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation and the magazine archplus

The Shrinking Cities International Research Network (SCiRN™) is a worldwide research consortium of scholars and experts from various institutions pursuing research on shrinking cities in a global context. SCiRN's mission is to advance international understanding and promote scholarship about population decrease in urban regions and urban decline, causes, manifestations, spatial variations, and effectiveness of policies and planning interventions to stave off decline. SCiRN™ was founded 2004 under the aegis of the Institute of Urban and Regional Development at the University of California, Berkeley. Here, scholars from various countries realised that although the decline of cities and urban regions was a common issue for urban planners in different local contexts, there was little comparative research on this topic.

The Shrinking Cities International Research Network (SCiRN™) is a worldwide research consortium of scholars and experts from various institutions pursuing research on shrinking cities in a global context. SCiRN's mission is to advance international understanding and promote scholarship about population decrease in urban regions and urban decline, causes, manifestations, spatial variations, and effectiveness of policies and planning interventions to stave off decline. SCiRN™ was founded 2004 under the aegis of the Institute of Urban and Regional Development at the University of California, Berkeley. Here, scholars from various countries realised that although the decline of cities and urban regions was a common issue for urban planners in different local contexts, there was little comparative research on this topic. Today SCiRN™ comprises 30 members from 14 countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, UK, and the USA) and a PhD Academy constituted of 14 young researchers (from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Poland, Spain, UK and Taiwan).

Existing policies and planning models fail to provide communities and their leaders with sufficient guidance in how to transform mounting inventories of vacant properties and surplus infrastructure into new livable neighborhoods.  Our operating premise is that a new set of sustainability strategies can serve as the catalyst for the regeneration of shrinking cities. We launched the shrinking city studio so that students and communities can together explore first‐hand the dimensions of smart decline and translate their experiences into action

REPURPOSED A parking garage in Detroit, above, began life in the 1920's as a theater.

Rethinking Urban Parks: Public Space & Cultural Diversity Setha M. Low, Dana Taplin, Suzanne Scheld 0 Resenhas University of Texas Press, 01/11/2005 - 226 páginas Urban parks such as New York City's Central Park provide vital public spaces where city dwellers of all races and classes can mingle safely while enjoying a variety of recreations. By coming together in these relaxed settings, different groups become comfortable with each other, thereby strengthening their communities and the democratic fabric of society. But just the opposite happens when, by design or in ignorance, parks are made inhospitable to certain groups of people.This pathfinding book argues that cultural diversity should be a key goal in designing and maintaining urban parks. Using case studies of New York City's Prospect Park, Orchard Beach in Pelham Bay Park, and Jacob Riis Park in the Gateway National Recreation Area, as well as New York's Ellis Island Bridge Proposal and Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park, the authors identify specific ways to promote, maintain, and manage cultural diversity in urban parks. They also uncover the factors that can limit park use, including historical interpretive materials that ignore the contributions of different ethnic groups, high entrance or access fees, park usage rules that restrict ethnic activities, and park "restorations" that focus only on historical or aesthetic values. With the wealth of data in this book, urban planners, park professionals, and all concerned citizens will have the tools to create and maintain public parks that serve the needs and interests of all the public.

WalkSanDiego is a regional, grassroots organization formed in 1998 and dedicated to making our neighborhoods more walkable. Through our educational events, training, advocacy, and work with local governments and SANDAG, WalkSanDiego is working to reclaim our streets and blocks through improved streetscape designs, accessible walking paths, and traffic calming measures.

The Real Estate Developer's Handbook: How to Set Up, Operate, and Manage a Financially Successful Real Estate Development Tanya Davis 2 Resenhas Atlantic Publishing Company, 30/06/2007 - 288 páginas Are you the Next Donald Trump? Successful real estate developers can become enormously wealthy. However, the flip side is many developers run out of cash before cashing in. Poor cash flow is the primary cause of business failure for real estate developers. This new book details how to become a successful real estate developer and demonstrates step-by-step how to set up, operate, and manage a financially successful real estate development enterprise. The author has explored every avenue in explaining this potentially rewarding yet risky business. The book covers the entire process of establishing a small real estate development firm and the ongoing management necessary in an easy-to-understand way, pointing out methods to increase your chances of success, and showing how to avoid the many common mistakes that can doom a start-up. The book focuses on small developments that you can start by yourself featuring both residential and commercial applications. Once the basic skills are learned, the book points out areas of expansion by leveraging your first investment. While providing detailed instruction and examples, the author leads you through finding your first location that will bring success, learning how to draw up a winning business plan, installing basic cost control systems, assembling your team of experts, generating high profile public relations and publicity, learning low cost marketing ideas and low- and no-cost ways to satisfy customers and build sales, setting up accounting and bookkeeping procedures, and auditing. There are thousands of great tips and useful guidelines. You will learn the development process, governmental issues, environmental issues, demographics and trends, market research, site selection, feasibility analysis, due diligence, preliminary p