The Urbane Urbanist

Hello Phoenix:

New French law will require solar panels in parking lots - Autoblog The French Senate has approved a bill that should increase that markedly, requiring parking lots with a minimum of 80 spaces to be covered by solar panels.

Indeed

Horizontal mass transit:

London's new $25 billion subway line has 4 elevators that move sideways. They carry 17 people and are more efficient than a normal elevator. Take a look. The Elizabeth Line's incline elevators run horizontally alongside escalators making them more efficient to install. See what they look like.

Everything old is new again:

MVRDV unveils pair of skyscrapers with "stratified cliff" facades MVRDV has revealed the Oasis Towers development in Nanjing, China, which is comprised of two L-shaped skyscrapers with angular cliff-like facades.

Urban planning at its finest:

Driving Into Manhattan Is About to Get Even More Expensive New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority is one step closer to rolling out a congestion pricing plan that would charge some motorists as much as $23 to enter Manhattan’s central business district.

Saudi Planning Skyscraper That's 75 Miles Wide

It can be done:

Here are some ways the world’s cities are rewilding Until recently I thought governments would never make proactive, effective decisions to help nature and wildness flourish. It seemed like wishful thinking.Today, I’m excited, because our urban areas are changing. It’s estimated that cities will be home to more than two-thirds of the world’s po...

Also one of few buildings with zero parking:

Tallest Shipping Container Tower in North America Set to Open in Phoenix Eighteen Phoenix families are poised to move next week into IDA on McKinley, the tallest tower in North America made entirely out of shipping...

Adaptation is key:

The Southwest’s cities are booming. Here’s how to make that growth climate-friendly. Phoenix is one of the country’s fastest-growing big cities, a sprawling metropolis in an increasingly arid region where federal water managers are currently proposing unprecedented cuts to water …

Cities should be about people not cars:

New research ranks 12 practical ways to get cars out of cities New research provides a ranking of 12 practical ways to get cars out of cities.

Lessons easily learned:

Why Dutch & Japanese Cities Are Insanely Well Designed (and American Cities Are Terribly Designed) Pity the United States of America: despite its economic, cultural, and military dominance of so much of the world, it struggles to build cities that measure up with the capitals of Europe and Asia. …

We all need a Central Park:

Green spaces in urban areas give a significant happiness boost Whether you are in New York or Los Angeles, finding a green city park can improve your mood, according to a new study into urban nature.A team from the University of Vermont found that the bigger the …