City and Regional Planning

Inclusive Excellence

David Conn — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:18:43 PDT

Nourishing urbanism: a case for a new urban paradigm

Lewis Knight et al. — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 15:33:23 PDT

True sustainability demands that we seek to more than ‘prop up’ traditional approaches to our environment; rather, it requires that we redress current shortcomings in the planning and design of our urban environment at both bio-regional and local scales. Nourishing Urbanism proposes a shift in the urban and non-urban paradigm relating to energy, water and food; all face significant climate-related challenges—and are united by land-use policy, planning and design. We need a renewed planning and design framework for cities and regions that allows the retrofitting of today's urbanity, and prepares our cities for a new tomorrow. Nourishing Urbanism seeks to provide a malleable planning and design framework that embraces the symbiosis between urban and non-urban, and provides for the well-being of the human condition through recommending policies and technical solutions that readdress land use, ultimately impacting the security of our energy, water and soil resources, as well as infrastructure, food supply, health and design.

Going Home Again

William Riggs — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 10:45:08 PDT

In Thomas Wolfe’s 1940 novel You Can’t Go Home Again, the main character, George Webber, writes a novel that depicts his hometown is part of his home community. More than simply a case of vigilante exclusion, Webber's severed connection with his hometown is part of his exploration of a changing America, about the relationship between city and country and the tensions that surround a rapidly urbanizing country. This nostalgic disconnect has entered our lexicon to refer to the line between those who have moved to the “sophisticated” metropolis from the rural backwater (or perhaps now the bucolic suburb or exurb), and for whom a return, as Susan Matt has suggested, might constitute a failure (Matt 2007).

Review of Sarah Garland, Gangs in Garden City: How Immigration, Segregation, and Youth Violence Are Changing America’s Suburbs

William Riggs — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 10:45:06 PDT

Enthnoburbs; immigrant enclaves in suburban ghettos; suburban balkanization; these are not new topics, but they are new to the “garden city” Long Island suburbs described by Sarah Garland in her book Gangs in the Garden City: How Immigration, Segregation and Youth Violence are Changing America’s Suburbs. In a tone that echoes Françoise Gaspard’s description of extremely polarized, segregated suburbs around Paris (Gaspard 1995), Garland grapples not only with the inner workings of “one of the world’s most dangerous gangs” but also with cultural divides that are fracturing families and communities.

Review of Andrew L. Dannenberg, Howard Frumkin, and Richard J. Jackson, Making Healthy Places: Designing and Building for Health, Well-Being, and Sustainability

William Riggs — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 10:45:03 PDT

Shelter and Development

Hemalata C. Dandekar — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 09:15:50 PST

The importance of a house in enabling individuals and families to attain physical shelter from inclement weather, provide security, a ‘grounded’ attachment to place, and enhance the quality of life of residents is an idea that has universal acceptance. Particularly since the Second World War, it has become an integral part of the popular imagination. The almost iconic status of what a house represents to upwardly mobile, nuclear, families is reflected in the great expansion of industries involved in real estate and housing development. This expansion includes the production for, and growth of, a formalized building and construction industry, and the production of domestic appliances and tools that are deemed essential for attaining a ‘modern’ ‘ideal’ domestic life. The theme popularized by the housing industry, of the virtue of the nuclear ‘modern’ family and the good life enabled to it by appropriately designed and furnished housing and appliances, has been enormously compelling. The meaning of house in the creation of ‘home’ in the post-industrial era has been universally marketed to those able to climb onto the development ladder. These have largely been families who were a part of the growing ‘middle class’ in the industrialized world and more recently in the developing world too.

Playing Out Democracy in MacArthur Park: Spatial Struggles in the Everyday Use of Public Space

Kelly D. Main — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 09:27:21 PDT

Bringing the Real World to the Classroom

Hemalata Dandekar et al. — Thu, 31 May 2012 11:34:23 PDT

In Ann Arbor, both sides benefit from a long-term collaboration between a professor and a practitioner.

Graphic Communications

Hemalata C. Dandekar — Thu, 31 May 2012 11:34:19 PDT

Images of Women in a Maharashtrian Village: A Photo Essay

Hemalata Dandekar — Thu, 31 May 2012 11:34:12 PDT

Lisbon: Between History and Modernity

Vicente del Rio et al. — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:15:16 PDT

This book showcases a selection of work from the 2011 Urban Design Summer Program in Lisbon offered by Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and the Universidade Lusófona.

Este livro apresenta uma seleção dos trabalhos do Programa de Verão em Desenho Urbano de 2011 em Lisboa, oferecido pela Cal Poly San Luis Obispo e a Universidade Lusófona.

Integration of Bicycling and Walking Facilities into the Infrastructure of Urban Communities

Cornelius Nuworsoo et al. — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:30:54 PDT

Several manuals, handbooks and web resources exist to provide varied guidance on planning for and designing bicycle and pedestrian facilities, yet there are no specific indications about which of the varied treatments in these guides work well for users. This project highlights best practices and identifies program characteristics associated with high levels of non-motorized travel, with an emphasis on bicyclists and pedestrians. It highlights practices in the California communities of Davis, Palo Alto and San Luis Obispo. The case studies are used to illustrate how urban communities have integrated non-motorized transportation modes into the physical infrastructure and worked to educate community residents and employees. The most salient themes that emerged from this study are linked to the following user preference: (a) distance to desired land uses and activities; (b) route directness; (c) route connectivity; (d) the separation of motorized and non-motorized transportation modes; (e) safety; (f) convenience; and (g) education and outreach. The aforementioned themes are integrated into key guiding principles that correspond to the trip-making cycle, from the decision to engage in an activity through the choice of route to arrival at the destination.

Thoughts on the Critical and Strategic Need for Planning in Ghana

Cornelius Nuworsoo — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:43:57 PDT

Smart Dial-A-Ride for Demand-Responsive Transit Operations: Research and Development of a Concept of Operations

Cornelius Nuworsoo — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:43:53 PDT

Assessment of Public Perception of User-Based Fees and Tolls To Finance Transportation Infrastructure Improvements

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:43:31 PDT

Integration of Bicycling and Walking Facilities into the Infrastructure of Urban Communities [DRAFT]

Cornelius Nuworsoo et al. — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:42:40 PDT

Several manuals, handbooks and web resources exist to provide varied guidance on planning for and designing bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Yet there are no specific indications about which of the varied treatments in these guides work well for users. This project highlights best practices and identifies program characteristics associated with high levels of non-motorized travel, with an emphasis on bicyclists and pedestrians, in the selected Californian urban case study communities of Davis, Palo Alto and San Luis Obispo. The case studies are used to illustrate how urban communities can better integrate non-motorized transportation modes into the physical infrastructure and the education of and outreach to community residents and employees. The themes that recurred throughout this study are reflected in user preferences and address issues related to: (a) distance to desired land uses and activities; (b) directness of route; (c) connectivity among routes; (d) separation of motorized and non-motorized modes for safety and comfort; (e) traveling safety; (f) convenience; and (g) education and outreach. The various themes are captured in a number of guiding principles that are arranged in chronological order to correspond to the cycle of trip-making from the decision to engage in an activity through the choice of route to arrival at the destination.

Guidelines for Transit Bus Stop Spacing: Improving Accessibility and Performance

Cornelius Nuworsoo — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:41:37 PDT

City of San Joaquin 2040 Community Plan: Policy Document

City of San Joaquin, California et al. — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:41:04 PDT

The City of San Joaquin 2040 Community Plan was prepared by a group of 15 Graduate Students and one professor in the City and Regional Planning Department at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, between September 2010 and March 2011. The Plan, which embodies seven months of research on the existing conditions and future direction for the City of San Joaquin, California, was completed as a component of the graduate degree requirements to obtain a Master of City and Regional Planning degree from the University. The plan represents a collaboration between the City and University.

The students would like to thank everyone who contributed to the research and preparation of this document. Sincere gratitude is extended to City staff for their assistance in data gathering and community outreach efforts. Special thanks are also due to elected City officials and the City Engineer. The students would especially like to thank the citizens of San Joaquin for their participation in community outreach events and positive visions for the future of San Joaquin. Without the participation of City residents, this collaborative effort would not have been successful.

City of San Joaquin 2040 Community Plan: Background Report

City of San Joaquin, California et al. — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:40:31 PDT

The City of San Joaquin General Plan Update Background Report was prepared by second-year graduate students and a professor in the City and Regional Planning Department at California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo. Under an agreement between the City and the Department, this report is the first deliverable in a two-phase Graduate Community and Regional Planning Studio project to prepare a General Plan Update for the City. This project partially fulfills the requirements necessary to obtain a Master of City and Regional Planning degree from the University. This document represents 12 weeks of research regarding existing conditions and future possibilities for the City, as well as community feedback and opinions gathered from participants in community events conducted during the research period.

The members of the Graduate Planning Studio Team wish to express their gratitude to all who made it possible to conduct this project and prepare this report. Sincere appreciation is extended to City staff, officials, and consultants for their assistance in gathering information needed to conduct this research, as well as for facilitating access to community events to engage local residents in the process. The Team would also like to thank the citizens of San Joaquin for their enthusiastic participation in community meetings. Without their participation, this project would not have been possible.

Avenue 12 Enhancement Study: Transportation Plan (Final Report)

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:39:58 PDT