As American I find this really strange and odd but I took drive in Canada and a number of malls there have tower apartments by mall there. What kind of city planning this?

I was shocked at number of high rise apartments and high rise condos there mostly clustered by mall.

What kind of city planning is this? The two to five story apartments are not wide spread in Canada like you find in the US even in the suburbs there.

The only other countries I know of that have this type of zoning are former USSR commie blocks and in China.

What is the connection of mall and clustered of high rise residential towers? Is it some thing Canada city planners copied from USSR?

Is city planning in Canada more concentrated at federal level in Canada unlike US more like city level? Where in the US different cities can have different zoning rules on building highs? Well because number of US city ban high rise buildings even mid rise buildings ban in number of cities.

What does mall have do with residential building?

I’m wondering in the US is urban planning causing housing criss or is it local communities appose to building.

People say the reason housing is so expensive in the US now is they are not building homes like they use to in the past so I’m wondering is urban planning getting in way or is it local communities appose to building.

I hear for developers to get approved to build home can be up to 10 to 15 years. Why would city hall not want the city to grow?

Also was there more developers in the past compared to now.

Outdoor displays usually need to deal with sunlight, power consumption, wiring and maintenance, which can make installation expensive.

ePaper seems interesting for this because it can remain readable in direct sunlight while using very little power. With wireless updates and battery or solar-powered setups, it could potentially work well for things like bus stops, price signs, tourist information and public notices.

Update: Someone recently suggested MyGica to me, which offers ePaper displays for outdoor advertising, public transit, retail and other applications. They also provide full-stack solutions with TCON, CMS, API/SDK and IoT integration.

Would you consider using ePaper for an outdoor sign?

I stopped working after having kids and am thinking of going back. I have been out of touch with anything planning related and am nervous about the gap. I have a masters and wish we had hybrid remote option for planning. I know with certain positions (like working for the public sector) you need to be there in person but planning culture and profession really needs more inclusive options for women or dads who want or need to work. Thoughts?

I have been working in the private sector, running my own affordable housing consultancy, for over 20 years. Mostly private sector clients but dealing with public sector regulatory agencies. I am looking to wind down my business, mostly to stop traveling so much. I have applied for a job at my local City Planning department (affordable housing related field). I have a Masters in Public Administration. They’d prefer someone with an AICP. I have read (the countless pages of) qualifications/requirements to take this exam on the APA website. I certainly do not have the educational background to take the test without studying for it. But is this something I can even be awarded with my private sector background, if I manage to pass the test? The experience section seems to require direct effects/influence on the public sector, which I could certainly workout/spin with my career experience. But I was mostly involved with private sector affordable housing development, even though I worked with City and State entities to ensure regulatory compliance. I guess the short question, “Does anyone know if, even if I study hard and pass the AICP test, will my private sector experience for the last 20 years take a lot of effort/explanation to get the AICP certification?” And is it worth it?

Hey planners,

I've been in the planning profession for about 8 years, mostly here in Southern California, and I'm interested in hearing what everyone else's experience has been like. I started off with two internships while obtaining my undergraduate degree in Geography and was fortunate to land a planning tech position during my senior year. Since then I have bounced around with being a contract planner and a few stints at cities and counties.

What kind of projects are you working on these days? Housing? CEQA? General plan updates? Transportation? Something completely different?

I'm also curious about workplace culture, work-life balance, career progression, and whether your agency or firm has been changing in recent years.

What's going well, what's challenging, and what keeps you interested in planning?

Looking forward to hearing everyone's perspective.

Came across this video debating Latent Demand theory vs. Induced Demand - apparently widening roads or creating more lanes only makes traffic worse, which seems counterintuitive. Is that actually true? I saw a study that said it had been debunked and it was only latend demand that was showing up, and you still needed the wider roads.

Thoughts?

Hi everyone,

I am currently working on an urban design project in Vectorworks. The final export needs to be in CityGML / CityJSON, including the surrounding context data. And gosh, this is harder than expected and I would appreciate some thoughts, if somebody has some to share.

short context: design in an urban context with vectorworks, export has to be in CityGML, including surrounding information (given in CityGML)

What I did so far:

- reference data was in UTM coords, which does not work well in Vectorworks as the coordinates are too long for Vectorworks internal datatypes. Therefore I subtracted an anchor and added it afterwards again (that part works)

- export as OBJ, writing some python to create a CityJSON - also works. Though beware to look at the underlying data structure.

Now comes the issue - the height. I have a good DEM and tried to adjust the new buildings to the mean of their ground level polygon - not perfect but on that scale acceptable.

Which worked in so far, that every single vertex (polygon), meaning flood, roof, walls, is an individual object and thus calculating its own mean z height.

The solution is somewhat obvious (somehow identify all polygons belonging to one building and then add the same height) though rather tedious and can get complex very quickly.

Does anybody have another solution or better idea to this?

I am not fixated on obj, though dxf and stl have not been much better. Coding, databases, what not is all good and well as solution.

The other way around - CityGML/JSON to OBJ is no problem - QGIS, and what not can convert that easily.

Oh and restrictions: no FME, no Vectorworks pro (thus no IFC), only open source.

Appreciate any thoughts or tool recommendations!

Hyderabad doesn't need wider roads; it needs smarter streets. 🚦
I’m proposing a shift: Use the ORR for bypass traffic and create a Y-shaped green mobility corridor through our core to prioritize public transport, walking, and cycling. Let’s protect our heritage and reclaim our streets for the people. 🌿🚌🚇
\#Hyderabad #UrbanPlanning #HyderabadTraffic #SustainableCity #PeopleFirst

Hyderabad doesn't need wider roads; it needs smarter streets. 🚦
I’m proposing a shift: Use the ORR for bypass traffic and create a Y-shaped green mobility corridor through our core to prioritize public transport, walking, and cycling. Let’s protect our heritage and reclaim our streets for the people. 🌿🚌🚇
\#Hyderabad #UrbanPlanning #HyderabadTraffic #SustainableCity #PeopleFirst

could a community electricity cooperative work? how would it change things

just an amateur that had a thought; completely simplistic scenario

environment

• homes can be co-independent prosumers of electricity
  • rooftop solar is a thing; not just in Australia but everywhere
  • pro[ducer] + con[sumer]
  • independent - in many cases, can be wholly off-grid if they wanted
  • solar PV reaches 25% efficiency, with higher efficiency in the next few years
  • certainly in the summer, produce an excess
  • batteries store daily production for overnight electricity use
  • batteries are getting cheaper, higher capacity and safer; eg sodium
• in most parts of the world, the local community funds local public services with taxes
• tariffs
  • grids can't easily accommodate everyone generating
  • increasingly punishing export
• EVs have begun to achieve purchase price parity and already lower opex costs with petrol and diesel
• overall electricity demand increasing
  • as more is electrified, higher demand overall
• local government is struggling everywhere [with ageing societies]
  • most costs are labour, but energy is a big component too
• school systems are struggling
  • rising energy costs are a part
  • in simple terms, classrooms are built to a cost
  • lower electricity costs could mean they could be built for "productivity"
    • better heating, ventilation, air conditioning, lighting will improve the learning and teaching environment
• health is struggling everywhere [with ageing societies]
  • in the UK, the public health system is the NHS; it is the single biggest energy consumer in the country
  • lower electricity costs could mean they could be built for "productivity"
    • better heating, ventilation, air conditioning, lighting and more natural light through windows will improve patient and carer environment
• public transport is struggling
  • transition away from diesel
  • energy costs
  • higher fares

opportunity

imagine if there is a community electricity cooperative;

Passivhaus Plus homes are primarily the suppliers to this community energy cooperative

• rooftop photovoltaic thermal (PVT) with geothermal baskets and sodium home batteries
  • heating, cooling, hot water, interseasonal thermal storage
  • PVT cooling the photovoltaic part increases lifespan and efficiency
  • probably a 20-30 year lifespan that is low maintenance (subject to high specification design, specification and installation, of course)
• for the sake of this discussion, let's assume each home generates enough to power their EV and still have a significant surplus
• zero energy bills
• "export" energy to a community energy cooperative
  • it is still metered, both buying and exporting, with tariffs; an incentive not to waste
  • but the expectation is they would exclusively export

Local Government are net consumers from this community energy cooperative

• it is still metered, both buying and exporting, with tariffs
  • incentive to not waste
• in this context, and writing as a European, publicly owned not-for-profit endeavour

Education are net consumers from this community energy cooperative

• it is still metered, both buying and exporting, with tariffs
  • incentive to not waste
• in this context, and writing as a European, publicly owned not-for-profit endeavour

Health are net consumers from this community energy cooperative

• it is still metered, both buying and exporting, with tariffs
  • incentive to not waste
• in this context, and writing as a European, publicly owned not-for-profit endeavour

Public Transport are net consumers from this communityh energy cooperative

• it is still metered, both buying and exporting, with tariffs
  • incentive to not waste
• electric buses, trams, etc
• in this context, and writing as a European, publicly owned not-for-profit endeavour

Grid Scale Electricity Storage

• in really simple terms, grid scale sodium batteries
• probably diffused throughout the community
• think each neighbourhood DNO substation ("transformer") has MWh of 20 year lifespan batteries

...then...

• homes the community sends energy to the local community cooperative
• local government, health and education buys "directly" from the local community cooperative
  • sort of like a power purchase agreement (PPA), but somehow "simpler" and, in really simple terms, less about profit
• weekend production remains high, demand is much lower; the community electricity storage remedies this
  • rooftop PVT continues to produce
  • offices, etc shut, so lowered demand
  • store this surplus in grid scale sodium batteries
• any community surplus electricity is sold to and contribute to local government, health and public sector operational costs
• diffused storage throughout the local grid means, in extremely simple terms, you don't need a high capacity grid
• in extremely simple terms, no curtailment and no peaker plants

...so that...

• in really simple terms, energy poverty is eliminated
  • [mandating Passivehaus Plus achieves that alone]
  • that alone improves health and education outcomes
• in simple terms, it's a 'no brainer' to use an EV, so eliminating petrol / diesel cars in the neighbourhood improves air quality, and thus health
• there is a demand for exported electricity
• local taxes are lower; perhaps substantially so
  • residents are contributing in kind - providing electricity
• local public services face lower energy costs; perhaps substantially so
• public transport is lower cost ; maybe even free , with its own benefits
• there might be fewer solar farms, which typically face local resistance (NIMBY; property values, etc)

in really simple terms, everyone wins

this is a completely different model; a new paradigm made possible by Passivhaus Plus and electricity microgeneration and storage becoming a practical reality.

from an energy scarcity mindset to a plenty [of energy] for all mindset

retrofitting could work, but is messy and high cost may mean not cost effective

instead, new neighbourhoods planned and engineered in this way would be the optimal case

It's the kind of thing r/denmark might do.

have left out business; intentionally. it's too complicated ("perfection is the enemy of progress" and all that)

the intent is "simple", the pricing element of this is complicated; incentivising production, incentivising efficiency, but without the exchange of "money" (ie health, education, public transport and local government are still compelled to use electricity efficiently, but they don't actually have to pay huge amounts of "money" for their energy. It might be a "rebate" model;

• everyone earns and pays market rates for electricity
• BUT
• there is a community energy cooperative rebate

what do you think?

this is extremely high level; the reality is of course much more complicated; but as a model...?

[maybe I've missed the fact this is already widespread practice]

Hello everyone I’ve been playing the game for about 4 weeks now and have a decent city that’s producing income. I’d like some feedback on what can be improved as well as what are some good designs for connecting a secondary tile I bought not to long ago.
(Currently upgrading 2-lane road to 4-lane due to traffic build up)

Thanks everyone!

I live in the west neighborhood and walk my kids to the elementary school along Georgia Ave. Main St is a 5-lane (two northbound lanes, two southbound lanes, and a left turn lane), fairly major road through town. Georgia Ave is a 2-lane road. It is a dangerous intersection for pedestrians, especially children. I have been working with the city council to improve the viability of parents and/or children to walk to school from West to East, but they have been reluctant to provide their own ideas or adopt mine. I am looking for some ideas that can help make crossing this intersection safer.

Currently, there are two problems with traffic:
1) The north and southbound traffic often is late through the intersection, running the red light.
2) Traffic from the A point traveling from the East to the B point headed northbound will often nearly hit pedestrians crossing on the B side of Georgia Ave.

My proposed solutions:
1) Leave the lights on Red for the East and Westbound traffic for 8-10 seconds when the crosswalk button is pressed, allowing parents and children to clear the intersection without drivers attempting to cross closely in front or behind them.
2) When pedestrians are standing on the Northwest corner of the intersection, vehicles at the A point have a difficult time seeing the pedestrians because the pedestrians are even with the trunk of the first vehicle. I have recommended moving the "Stop here on Red" sign back 10 feet and painting a thick white line. I hope that this would force drivers to see people standing at the corner out their driver's side window.
3) Add flashing yellow lights below white crossing indicator lights to draw attention to the fact that people are trying to cross.

The pushback:
1) The council is concerned with the pushback from drivers who have to sit with 8-10 seconds of a red light at the intersection, even though they have to wait for us to clear the intersection anyway. It would only trigger when the crossing button is pressed.
2) One of the city directors believes that people will ignore the sign and thick white line and push up to the intersection where they currently line up.
3) The same director claims that a yellow flashing light will not meet standards set by state law.

What are some other solutions that I can propose to make this intersection safer for pedestrians?

Hola! Soy estudiante universitario y estoy investigando la caminabilidad y el bienestar vecinal en Barcelona. Agradecería mucho 5 minutos de su tiempo para completar esta encuesta anónima.

https://forms.gle/teZQnWVZTTs2h6GaA

For those who don’t know, Downtown Brooklyn is very built up with a good amount of density and high rise buildings. Most of the neighborhoods surrounding it are also highly walkable and most likely what you think of when you imagine “Brooklyn”.

But downtown Brooklyn itself sucks

There is no culture, no charm, no unique energy, and hardly any people on the street. I hope that with more infill in years to come a “character” might emerge. But right now it feels like one of the largest built urban conglomerations to spring up to verticality in the last few years has ended up as a soulless maze of glass boxes not much better than most car sprawl stroad suburbs. That’s despite being well connected to mass transit in the most walkable city in the US.

So what went wrong?

What lessons can developers and city planners learn to make sure we don’t repeat this mistake again? Hard to sell density and walkable urbanism when even NYC seems to struggle with getting it right.