2010

On a recent visit to Denver, Linda Severson was surprised to find herself ignoring the city’s famed scenery to examine one of Denver’s lesser known wonders: its parking meters.

Denver is one of a number of U.S. cities that has installed brightly colored, repurposed parking meters designed to take donations to services for the city’s homeless.  Intrigued by these “donation stations,” Severson took the idea back to her role as human services coordinator for the Johnson County Council of Governments, in Eastern Iowa.

Her timing was apt.  Iowa City, the county seat, was then in the process of revising their panhandling ordinance, which would increase the restrictions on where panhandling could take place in the downtown area.  It seemed like the perfect time to offer what city officials have now deemed an “alternative” to panhandling. 

The key to livability is “putting people first,” according to Danish urbanist Jan Gehl. This could not be presented more simply, nor more accurately. 

Last week, in concert with the Institute of Transportation and Development Policy’s exhibit “Our Cities Ourselves,” Jan Gehl, along with co-author Walter Hook, published a report on the principles of improved transportation in urban areas that place the pedestrian as their priority.  The report is called “Our Cities Ourselves: 10 Principles for Transport in Urban Life” and the exhibit launched on Thursday, June 24th, at the New York Center for Architecture.  Gehl’s principles aim to address the challenges that we face in the 21st century, such as rapid population growth and climate change, to reposition cities as lively, safe, sustainable and healthy, as they were meant to be.

As global competition rises, cities all over the world are looking to distinguish themselves.  Lending a hand in this effort is CitID, an ambitious project that hopes to give every city a chance to shine.  CitID challenges artists across the globe to create a logo for the city “closest to their heart,” then posts the results in their fascinating gallery. 

Approximately 150 cities on all 6 continents are represented so far.  The ultimate goal is to have a logo from every city in the world.  You can help them reach that goal by submitting a logo of your favorite city at www.citid.net.

The Craigslist Foundation, in partnership with the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), is now taking registrations for its 7th annual community building “boot camp.” 

The event will take place on August 14, 2010 at the University of California Berkeley.  Speakers include: Craig Newmark, founder of craigslist.org; Marsha Semmel, acting director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services; and Susan Benton, CEO and president of the Urban Libraries Council.

For more information, visit www.craigslistfoundation.org/boot-camp.  “Early bird” pricing is available through June 30.

“Aging in Place ” and “Green Living” might seem like an unlikely pairing. However, advocates from both camps have found many commonalities between the two.  Aging today is not solely an issue of health and finances; the issue of aging has developed into so much more than that because of drastic increases in life expectancy over the past century.  Unfortunately, poorly designed elder communities unfairly isolate individuals because of their age or capacity.  As a result, these auto-dependent communities create barriers for older individuals, but also create barriers to healthy living and civic engagement for all individuals.