Urban fiction

This semester in our community and regional planning class we learned about the general realities of planning. Our last and final assignment is to read and write a review and assessment of The Best-Laid Plans by Randal O' Tool and The Geography of Nowhere by James Kunstler. Both were books that had some good points and at times were a little bit dry and hard to get through, but I drudged through it to deliver this fantastic review and assessment. The Geography of Nowhere is a thirteen-chapter…

Walking down the sidewalks of Roland Park and Middle East, you can clearly see an inequality between their neighbourhood resources and the implications of the communities’ respective histories. Whereas Middle East seems to be experiencing a period of revitalization, clearly spearheaded by the nearby Johns Hopkins institutions, Roland Park portrays a stable, deep-rooted past of affluency. These physical conditions impact the wellbeing of residents and thus fall under the umbrella term of social…

it is understood that the setting is not a tabula rasa. The function of the urban campus is to then improve and orientate through bringing prominence to Main Road as a Campus Street. This street is a sort of promenade made to be recognisable as distinct, grabbing attention and creating a lasting impression. -Main Road is walkable -Street furniture, lighting and landscaping are used to create a distinct quality of urban environment -Built form is sensitive to local culture although robust…

Beijing, China is the capital of china and one of the fastest growing cities in the world. Beijing has a large population and many different cultures. This is how the people adapt to the physical features, climate zones, vegetation zones, population density, land use, and resources. The physical features in Beijing China are above sea level to 1,000 feet above sea level. Over to the west in Beijing, there are some hills and very small mountains. Only 12% of China is plains and the rest are…

Urban sprawl caused the increase of physical and environmental footprints of many cities all over the world, some of them having a significant increase in a very short time. This, however, leads to the decrease and destruction of natural wildlife habitats and farmland. The trend of urban sprawl first started in the US after the end of world war II. The increase in manufacturing output and new federal programs in America had made it possible for many people to buy new houses and cars. The…

The short term effects of urbanization, such as people coming together, may be positive for a time. However, it eventually leads to former countrysides disappearing and higher crime rates. Therefore. people need to take an extra effort to conserve the land. Out of the many unwanted effects of urbanization, one of the most prominent consequences is the disappearance of lands surrounding developed area. Many companies and businesses mindlessly purchase land to build on, not caring about the…

Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America is a book that pledges the importance of city planning and believes that the deliberate, methodical structure that we give to where we live will reflect back into how we live our lives. Jeff Speck, author of the book and esteemed city planner, claims that one of the most important features of city planning should be the city’s accessibility to pedestrians, a feature Speck sees as being largely and mistakenly ignored in today’s more car-focused era. He…

There are many places a can live in America. You can live in many different rural or urban areas. 19.3% of people live in rural environments and 80.7% live in urban communities. I don’t know what I would prefer because there are positive benefits in both. The next few paragraphs will explain how. 19.3% of Americans live in an urban environment. Over half of these people are are younger than 35. If I had to choose where to live well, when I’m young I believe it would be better live in this…

a recreation park. Because this neighborhood is undergoing new developments, the Common is isolated and secluded, thus it felt empty and unoccupied throughout the visits. Building up the surrounding neighborhood would bring life and energy to the urban area. The Common aimed for a place of recreation; however, it fell short on several aspects. For instance, the design of the playground…

The changing land use around Sydney Harbour is caused by a large variety of reasons, which shape Sydney into what it is today. The earliest known recount of the land’s usage that it was used for hunting, gathering and primary production by the Indigenous people. After the European settlers arrived*, they cleared the lands which drove out most of the native wildlife. Initially, the area had been planned to be used for agriculture but the land was deemed relatively infertile so their plans moved…