Greater City Providence
Could cities’ problems be solved by urban acupuncture? [The Guardian]
“Urban acupuncture is a surgical and selective intervention into the urban environment,” said Los Angeles architect and professor John Southern in an interview, “instead of large scale projects that involve not only thousands of acres, but investment and infrastructure that municipalities can no longer provide.”
Urban Green Space Key in Improving Air Quality [The City Fix]
A new study out of the University of Kent in the UK found that a 10 percent increase in urban tree coverage in mid-size cities, like Leicester, can absorb about 12 percent of carbon emissions, contributing to cleaner air. The study is yet another addition to the argument that any sound urban planning or transit policy to improve air quality must be supplemented with green spaces.
After living in Portland most of my life with a couple stints in Manhattan and Paris, I realized a very valuable asset upon moving to downtown Seattle: the untapped potential of our alleyways.
America’s Coming Infrastructure Crash [The Atlantic]
Or think about road and bridge construction. Should we spend scarce resources on improving road links to a regional shopping mall? Or should we place top priority on infrastructure improvements that might entice foreign firms to locate manufacturing facilities in the U.S.?
The big local story, Central Falls:
Ted Nesi is all over it. Read his blog at WPRI and follow him on Twitter.
RE: → Tapping the potential of our alleyways [Daily Journal of Commerce]
Rumor has it that Fulton Alley, between Union and Dorrance Streets next to the Smith Lofts is becoming a pedestrian court a la Martha Street (Lucie Way).
That alley has at least been blocked off to cars for quite some time now, probably since the Smith Building was renovated. They’ve been doing some work in it the last couple weeks, and it is certainly a good contender for being prettied up and pededstrianized. It makes for a good connection from City Hall/Kennedy Plaza to the Westminster Shops.
The picture accompanying the blurb about trees looks a lot like Empire.