Planning Pool

As some of us recover from the spectacle of Super Bowl Sunday, we thought it'd be an appropriate time to kick-off our own grand event -- chicken week.  Now, as many a city councilperson can tell you, the idea of city-slickin' chickens stimulates some compelling, if not maddening debate (evidenced here).  In tough times, urban livestock definitely has some appeal for those who'd take their victory gardens one step further.  Will chickens supplant dogs as the preferred family pet?  Or will future generations merely associate chicken with greasy, dinosaur-shaped bricks of life-shortening goodness?  Maybe ... Continue Reading

Creative commons hen photo from Loungerie on Flickr.

We hope that will enjoy this upcoming week of posts about urban chickens in policy and practice! To kick off Chicken Week, we present a story about a very special urban chicken as told by Vancouver-based musician Craig McGregor. He begins disarmingly with "I don't feel like playing a guitar solo; I feel like telling you a story!"

To my mind, his (true!) tale perfectly presents the disconnected, uncomfortable and absurd relationship that many urban North Americans have ... Continue Reading

Yesterday, the Portland City Council postponed a vote on the city’s aggressive 2030 Bike Plan until next week, when, as Mayor Sam Adams suggested, it will likely pass.  Still, there is some question about the extreme expense of the plan (its total cost exceeds that of the recent light rail expansion), and whether a majority of Portlanders will truly appreciate its benefits.  Zach Dundas at True/Slant offered his thoughts on the plan yesterday.

Here’s a little snippet of yesterday’s happenings from the Oregonian.

City Council Postpones Vote on 2030 ... Continue Reading

Jakarta residents celebrate Car Free Jakarta. Thanks to Luluk on Flickr for the great Creative Commons image!

In Vancouver, Canada, the 2010 Olympics are taking over more and more of the city in preparation for the official games and festivities. Starting last week, the city began closing roads and beefing up security, with more closures happening as time passes. As much as these obstructions are annoying to residents, in the ... Continue Reading

This time, Vancouver and Vancouver sub in for London and Paris. Don't fear though; shadows of Dickens remain. In his sweeping, heartfelt and often critical portrait of the city, Gary Stephen Ross offers up a crystal clear "before" picture of this aspiring town just ahead of the throngs about to descend on us for the Olympics. He asks us to ask: What Next?
"Vancouver’s youth, like its size, is easy to overlook. From the air, the downtown commercial grid, circumscribed by salt water and shining in the sun, calls to mind a sort of a mini-Manhattan, as snugly fitted as a ... Continue Reading

Catawba County and University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) are collaborating on an eco-industrial park on the Blackburn Landfill in North Carolina.

Experiments are slated to start in a few months to test the site''s integrated systems. The facility, named Catawba EcoComplex, hosts a number of facilities where the idea of "waste = food" reigns. In other words, wastes from some processes become feedstock for others.

Right now, the complex hosts a landfill, a landfill gas-to-energy facility, a lumber processor, a pallet manufacturer, sunflower and canola biofuels farms, and a cooperative farm. Catawba County is ... Continue Reading

The issue of homelessness is at the forefront of debates, both formal and informal, and is a reality I see every day in Vancouver, Canada. As the 2010 Olympics start take over the city, many wonder what will happen to the city’s large homeless population.

Housing and Development Board flats in the Little India district of Singapore. Thanks to Linkway88 for the Creative Commons photo.

In contrast, homelessness ... Continue Reading

Four country western expansion urban growth model from UNC Charlotte Urban Institute on Vimeo.

North Carolina is one of the states that is losing farmland most rapidly in the US. Researchers at UNC Charlotte and UNC Asheville are using satellite images, development trends, population data, and growth projections to create a visual digital model of what North Carolina may look like in the future.

So far, they have found that four western North Carolina counties (Madison, Buncombe, Henderson ... Continue Reading

Solar Panel by Flickr user futureatlas.com

There are lots of reasons why we don't use more renewable energy, like solar or wind power. A huge reason is cost - often a system can take 10 to 15 years to payback from energy savings. Another factor is regulatory. Sometimes, zoning laws don't allow solar power or adding photovoltaic panels may require a construction permit.

Portland is trying to make it easier for homeowners to add solar panels to their houses. While Portland may not be solar power mecca, ... Continue Reading

"Olympic Line" Streetcar Demonstration in Vancouver, Canada from Planning Pool on Vimeo.

January 21 2010 at 9:30am -that's today! - marks the start of a two-month demonstration of modern streetcar service in Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Olympics. This three-minute slideshow shows a sneak preview of the streetcars themselves, on loan from Brussels, Belgium. It also observes the City of Vancouver's interest in finding funding and galvanizing political will to reinstate permanent streetcar service in the city.

The demonstration streetcars will ... Continue Reading