Cherry Blossoms
Planting Cherry Blossoms as city trees in your community add life and love to your streets, but how do you properly care for them?
02
Jun
Tag Archives: Urban Planning
18
Feb
The great debate: Tree pits vs tree grates
When choosing how to protect trees on sidewalks, boulevards, and plazas you have a choice: tree pits vs tree grates. Which should you choose? Which is easier to maintain?
04
Feb
A Deep Look into Fabricated Bollards
Fabrication is all about taking a raw piece of material and making it into something functional. It’s the building of some sort of structure with metal, usually steel to make something usable that will last a long time.
15
Dec
A Guide to Park Benches (for Thriving Neighborhoods)
A park bench may be the place for a first kiss or to stop and watch a vibrant sunset. Either way, it is a welcome seat that encourages people to step outside.
04
Dec
Smart Cities, Smart Procurement
Traditional municipal castings can be transformed into internet-of-things (IoT) devices. A smart manhole, trash bin, or bollard watches its environment and reports. Is trash piling up? Is the storm sewer overflowing? Are construction sites active after hours?
13
Nov
How To: Grow an Urban Tree Canopy
Urban tree canopy is of increasing importance in cities all over the world. As climate events become more common, trees help moderate their effect. They clean and cool air, manage water, prevent erosion, and manage the urban heat sink.
22
Oct
A Guide to Storm Drain Grates
Storm drain grates are responsible for creating safety to the street users above. When choosing the right grate, there are several issues to consider.
06
Aug
How can Municipalities Defend against Texting and Driving?
Drivers distracted by texting are a recent but very large danger on the roads.
15
Jul
Bollards with Lights
Solar bollards are less expensive to install, as they do not require trenching. Their standalone nature promises to keep the lights on
08
Jul
Tenji Blocks
Tenji is the word for a Japanese system of braille. Tenji block could therefore be translated as “braille block.” These embedded plates allow people to read the environment
20
May
Several to One: Removable Bollards Systems
Often, when sites choose removable bollards, they don’t order perfectly matched sets. Sites may buy several receivers and one bollard—or, they might buy several bollards and one receiver.
13
May
11 Benefits of Street Trees in Urban Spaces
Yes, trees drop leaves and fruit, produce pollen, and have roots that can become invasive or heave sidewalks. Yet trees make such a big difference to quality of life and urban management that these are small problems to overcome.
01
Apr
Bike Usage during Social Distancing
We wondered what the data might show about the changes in bike traffic: how does it compare to changes in vehicle traffic?
11
Mar
Sustainable Water Management and the Cities of the Future
In our Future Cities series, we will look at how engineers and city planners are approaching the challenges and opportunities of our changing world. This week we celebrate innovations in water management in places like Northern BC; Milwaukee, WI; Gresham, OR; and Orange County, CA.
10
Mar
Are Speed Humps Effective?
Speed is the primary factor in most vehicle accidents—increasing both risk and severity. As drivers move faster, they have less time to respond to road conditions and any resulting collision causes more damage. To counter the problem of speeding, municipalities can choose from a number of
05
Mar
A Guide to Bollard Spacing and Site Planning
Each type of bollard has its own important, unique purpose.
04
Mar
How they Test Vehicle Crash Barriers
Crash barriers are tested to stop vehicle incursion. Different types of incursion have led to two main testing standards.
20
Feb
Mixing Solar and Hardwired Bollard Lights
Lighting can be one of the easiest yet most impactful ways to boost the mood of a landscape.
18
Feb
Bollards vs. Jersey Barriers: Which is More Effective?
When choosing between Jersey barriers and bollards, it’s important to consider the speed, type of traffic, and likely crash pattern.
04
Feb
Public Spaces, Skateboarding, and Urban Planning
A unique combination of exploration, community, challenge, and freedom mean that skateboarding can attract kids who do not enjoy participating in team sports, or for whom the financial burden of team sports is too high.