ENVI-met’s Post

🗺 Map of the Week: Washington, D.C. – 85th Percentile Speed, Feb 2024 This week's map shows Washington D.C.’s unique network design while showcasing 85th percentile speed on major roads. The city’s layout was planned in the late 18th century and features broad avenues intersecting at circles and squares. Unlike most cities with a grid street pattern, Washington D.C.’s network design includes diagonal corridors that create interesting junctions requiring the use of traffic circles. Explore the dynamic map here 👉 https://hubs.la/Q02wTyCJ0 Learn how you can create your own speed study with Urban SDK 👉 https://hubs.la/Q02wTDGq0

Urban design and planning are not just about organizing buildings and streets, they are about shaping the soul of a city. Every street you design and every green space you create has the potential to transform lives. Great urban design is the art of storytelling. It connects the past, anchors the present, and inspires the future. It bridges culture, nature, and humanity, creating spaces where people feel alive, connected, and part of something larger than themselves. As an urban designer, You're not just building infrastructure, you're building memories, fostering belonging, and leaving a legacy of livable, resilient, and inspiring communities. Dont forget to create harmony between people and place. What you design today could be someone’s favorite childhood memory tomorrow. #urban_design #urban_planning #urban_redevelopment #master_planning

"We need more parking spaces!" Ehmm... Spoiler alert: No we don't. But we do have sidewalks. And sidewalks connect us. If urban designers don't prioritize walkability... ↳ We miss out on enhancing community health and connectivity. If we neglect safe, pedestrian-friendly pathways... ↳ We forgo opportunities to boost local economies and real estate values. If we overlook integrating public spaces and local businesses into our city planning... ↳ We diminish the vibrancy and social interaction within our communities. (This is super important for urban planners and community developers: dedicating time to thoughtful urban design CAN make a world of difference in our cities) How do I know this? I've seen firsthand how walkable urban designs transform neighborhoods, fostering economic growth and enhancing quality of life. Only because I... 1. Advocate for pedestrian-centric planning. Pedestrians, then buildings, then roads (not the other way around). 2. Collaborate with communities to implement these designs 3. Witness the positive impacts on local economies + social well-being. Do you have a "walkable city" initiative in your community? Or do you want to it? Let's chat about urban design strategies. (Repost ♻️ this article if you find it insightful) P.S. The concept of the 15-minute city is gaining traction as a model for sustainable urban living. 🔗Below to Jackie De Burca's piece that inspired me to share.

"If you ask for a room of architects or developers, ‘do you design streets?’ I guarantee you'd see very few hands go up. Yet, in reality, those architects, designers, and policymakers of the private realm contribute hugely to the street experience in a particular place." 🏙️ 🌆 What if our streets brought communities together instead of just moving cars? It’s a transformational idea. Skye Duncan, Executive Director of the Global Designing Cities Initiative, sat down with our founder, Philippe Demers, to discuss how she and her team are reimagining urban spaces to create safer, healthier, and more inclusive cities. 🚶♀️💡 From innovative tools like the "reverse periscope" to incredible before-and-after transformations, Skye dives into how we can reclaim our streets for people, not just vehicles. This isn't just about design—it's about shaping vibrant spaces where kids play, businesses thrive, and communities connect. 🌍✨ 🎥 Click the link to discover how we can unlock the true potential of our cities. https://lnkd.in/g6ifnHvF #MASSIVart #CreativePlacemaking #UrbanDesign #CityPlanning #FutureOfCities #InclusiveStreets #RealEstateDevelopment #UrbanPlanning

Is Washington DC a Well Designed City? My Thoughts on DC Planning https://lnkd.in/gpa6K5ZE - Explore whether Washington DC is a well planned and well designed city. In this video, I share my thoughts on DC planning, layout, architecture, aesthetics and functionality. Learn about the strengths and weaknesses of Washington DC design and whether it meets the needs of its residents. 👫🌳🚚 This video is part of a series exploring Washington DC’s city design, transit systems and urban mobility. For access to my exclusive 30-minute review and PDF guide to DC’s top destinations and free attractions, support my channel on Buy Me a Coffee! 🚇🌟 If you've enjoyed this review on Washington DC planning and design, I recommend checking out my video on DC urban mobility and transit speed: https://lnkd.in/gTuh38ci. Join Transit Nomad as we navigate cities worldwide while sharing insights on public transit and urban planning! 🏙️🌐 #WashingtonDC #DCPlanning #DCDesign #WashingtonDCDesign #WashingtonDCPlanning #CityDesign #UrbanPlanning #DCUrbanDesign #CityPlanning #CityLayout #DCUrbanReview #DCUrbanPlanning #CityDesignReview #DCLayout #TansitNomad #CityMobility #DCArchitecture #LivableCity #NotLivableCity

Alhumdulilah! I have completed my course of "Sustainable Transportation Networks and Streetscapes" offered by John Hopkins University. Following are some highlights of the course:🚶♀️🚗 This course provided a deep dive into - Sustainable Public and Private Streetscape Design 🌳🏙️: Evaluating applications for sustainable cities. Smart Urban Planning 🏘️📈: Addressing growth, lifestyle, and community equity. Sidewalk and Curb Design 🛤️🌿: Integrating street tree configurations, street light design, and water management strategies. Thoroughfare Design Concepts 🚦: Differentiating between free-flow, slow-flow, and yield-flow designs. Community Impact 🌍: Creating equitable, healthy, and sustainable communities through smart planning strategies. By the end of this course, I’ve gained the skills to - Survey and evaluate thoroughfare networks for connectivity and interaction. 🔍 Compare street design options for smart growth planning. 🏗️ Assess sidewalk and street design strategies, including tree and light configurations. 🌲💡 Examine water management techniques in streetscape design. 💧🔄 Identify different thoroughfare design concepts. 🚥 Evaluate indicators of smart urban planning and growth. 📊 🌿🏙️ Verify at: https://lnkd.in/dn-p8zaZ #UrbanPlanning #SustainableDesign #SmartGrowth #Transportation #CommunityDevelopment #Streetscape #UrbanDesign

🏛 How do we breathe new life into old spaces? In my master’s thesis, I tackled the challenge of adaptive reuse by transforming an underutilized urban area into a dynamic knowledge neighborhood. This plan integrates riverfront development, street redevelopments, and improvements in urban character to create a cohesive, sustainable environment. 🌊 The riverfront acts as both a natural and social connector, while the redeveloped streets enhance pedestrian movement and neighbourhood identity. The result? A harmonious blend of history and modernity that fosters innovation, learning, and community. ❓ : What role do you think adaptive reuse will play in the future of urban design? #AdaptiveReuse #UrbanDesign #ThesisProject #RiverfrontDevelopment #StreetRedevelopment #UrbanCharacter #KnowledgeNeighborhood #SustainableCities

Urban density is a critical factor in shaping the functionality, sustainability, and livability of cities. Types of Urban Density: Population Density: The number of people living in a given urban area. High population density often means more people living in smaller spaces, like high-rise apartments or densely packed neighborhoods. Building Density: The concentration of buildings, which can affect the city’s skyline, urban design, and spatial organization. #UrbanDensity #SustainableCities #UrbanPlanning #CityDesign #SmartGrowth #UrbanDevelopment #CompactCities #UrbanSustainability #TransitOrientedDevelopment #MixedUseDevelopment #PublicTransportation

🌟 **Jacobs vs. Alexander: Leading Thinkers in Urban Planning** 🌟 🔸 **Jane Jacobs:** Jane Jacobs, with her writings, especially her famous book "The Death and Life of Great American Cities," had an undeniable impact on urban planning thoughts. She believed that vibrant and lively cities result from diverse land use and high residential density. Jacobs advocated for dynamic neighborhoods and believed that urban design should be bottom-up, with active community participation. 🔸 **Christopher Alexander:** Christopher Alexander offered a unique perspective on urban design by emphasizing complexity and natural patterns. He believed that cities should grow like living organisms, with their vitality emerging from intricate and interconnected networks. His book "A Pattern Language" helps designers create spaces that are fitting and harmonize with human needs. 🌍 **Different Views, Same Goal:** While Jacobs and Alexander followed different approaches in urban planning, they shared a common goal: creating better and more humane urban spaces. These two pioneers, with their knowledge and experience, aimed to create cities that better cater to their residents' needs – places where people can live, work, and commute comfortably. 💬 **Which Perspective Do You Find More Effective?** Are you a fan of Jane Jacobs' dense and diverse neighborhoods, or do you believe in Christopher Alexander's complexity and nature-inspired patterns? Share your thoughts with us! #UrbanDesign #JaneJacobs #ChristopherAlexander #CityPlanning #UrbanLiving #ModernCities #UrbanPlanning #CityArchitecture #UrbanLife

Have you ever walked around your neighbourhood, seen a space that you don’t like that much (it could be a plaza, footpath, or just a wall), and imagined how that space could look better?    At ZTP we do this all the time! Sometimes it is difficult to put our ideas into words and that’s when using visuals becomes a great option. We use before and after visualisations to better communicate our vision in diverse transport strategies and plans.     This kind of visualisation also helps us test how our plans would look in real life, considering other crucial aspects that make active and public transport modes more attractive and inviting, such as urban design and overall built environment. We can (literally) see how a new planned bike path would interact with the current land use. We can also identify the need for landscape upgrades and other facilities that would encourage people to choose active and public transport. What do you think about this before and after?