Ink Built’s Post

If you know me at all, you know that I am a big proponent of smart growth, adaptive reuse and quality infill building for vibrancy. Infill, when done well, leads to healthier, more vibrant, and economically successful communities. It can also help manage sprawl, and grow diverse and healthy local neighborhood economies. I can't wait to see our own Railyards develop and change the face of Sacramento! Tell me about your favorite examples of infill development.

The FOURTEENTH post in my "32 days of Case Studies in Retrofitting Suburbia" project. #stillgoing Case Study II.14: Maplewood Mall and Living Streets, Maplewood, MN, USA Suburban commercial developments, such as shopping malls, are wellsprings of runoff due to their vast acres of parking lots. Partnering with the city of Maplewood, Ramsey County, and Maplewood Mall's then-owner, Simon Property Group, the local Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District (RWMWD) took the innovative approach of enhancing the mall and improving its environmental performance by transforming 35 acres of impervious asphalt grayfields with tree trench islands, rainwater gardens, and areas of permeable paving. After the project was completed, more than 65% of the property's runoff was captured, filtered, and infiltrated, up from only 3% before the #regreening retrofit.   Maplewood, population 40,000, has a remarkably forward-thinking history of sustainability projects, especially in soft or green infrastructure. It was one of the first in Minnesota, known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes," to begin installing “Living Streets,” aka rainwater gardens, as a routine part of street improvements, such as resurfacing or water main replacement, to reduce #stormwater runoff into the sewer system and prevent pollutants such as phosphorus from reaching water bodies.   The city maintains an inventory of over 700 home rain gardens in the planted strip between sidewalk and roadway along residential streets, and 60 rain gardens on city-owned property. Impressive!   Image: Maplewood Living Streets demonstration project, from the RWMWD website.   Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District City of Maplewood Maplewood Mall #RetrofittingSuburbia #urbandesign #urbandevelopment #regreening #reinhabitation #AddWaterandEnergyResilience #ImprovePublicHealth #SupportanAgingPopulation ULI Australia Suburban Futures Ellen Dunham-Jones Mike Day of Hatch

Ready to elevate your neighborhood's charm? What renovations do you have planned next? Share your ideas, and let's make our community even more stunning together! Learn more about the communities we serve: https://bit.ly/3GoxEcn #KenrickCorporation #RochesterNY #PropertyManagement

Planting trees reduces the urban heat effect. As summer approaches and our cities are heating up, MKSK continues to address the urgent need to mitigate urban heat island effect through a simple and impactful solution – plant trees. One project where this is highlighted is Grandview Yard. Grandview Yard is the first project in the State of Ohio and the largest project in the U.S. to achieve LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, in part by planting shade trees to mitigate any heat island effect. With 17,576 linear feet of streets lined with 766 trees, 75% of the neighborhood’s streets and sidewalks are shaded with an average of 30’ between trees. By comparison, the City of Columbus has an average of 56% tree coverage on streets according to the City of Columbus Street Tree Inventory Summary Report. MKSK leveraged the power of trees not only to shade and reduce urban heat effect in this neighborhood, but also their power to improve health, livability and equity and create both human and natural communities. Projects like these exemplify efforts that can impact challenges facing the larger landscape community serving urban areas across the country. Last summer, the US Forest Service published an article highlighting the growing threat of extreme heat and identifying the great benefits of planting trees to not only reduce heat on our streets and sidewalks but also benefit air quality, flood mitigation, physical and mental health, equity, and overall quality of life. As record-setting temperatures continue to threaten public health, organizations like the American Society of Landscape Architects are working with Ohio's Senator Brown and Arizona's Representative Gallego to pass the Excess Urban Heat Mitigation Act. #MKSK #ShapePlace #PlacesforPeople #LandscapeArchitecture #UrbanDesign #Planning #Design #ASLA #APA #ULI #GrandviewYard #LEED #UrbanHeatIsland #MKSKPlantCommittee

The Wall Street Journal covered it last week: Reflective roof coatings reduce urban heat islands... Here's a story of how bright-white roofs in the Chelsea community outside of Boston contributed to an approximately 4.5-degree reduction in ground temperature. "Fighting the excessive heat in this economically disadvantaged neighborhood is a critical part of revitalization and making it a vibrant home for its 40,000 residents. While UV-reflective roofs won't solve the entire problem, it's very encouraging to see this type of immediate impact." - Dr. Madeleine Scammell, Associate Professor, Boston University School of Public Health SOCOTEC Chelsea Public Schools Mount Vernon Group Architects Inc. Massachusetts Department of Public Health Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance Boston University School of Public Health #sustainability #urbanheatisland #boston #cheatproject #greenrootschelsea #roofing #construction https://hubs.la/Q021jvr-0

The United Way of the Wabash Valley is now accepting applications for their Neighborhood Improvement mini-grants program. The Neighborhood Improvement Project mini-grant program focuses on any neighborhood in the United Way’s service area of Clay, Parke, Sullivan, Vermillion, and Vigo counties in Indiana and Clark County in Illinois. These mini-grants will be between $1,000 and $5,000 each and are intended to enhance the “look and feel” of a neighborhood by addressing public safety, beautification projects, blight elimination, and/or government-service improvements or a combination of any of these categories. Examples of these types of projects include adding lighting in public areas, a neighborhood clean-up initiative, public landscaping projects, public murals, and park improvements. To apply, visit https://lnkd.in/gBtsec3i and submit an online application by 4 p.m. ET, Thursday, November 20, 2023. #VermillionCountyIndiana #EDC #AVermillionReasons #UWWV

How this city is keeping safe roofs over their community https://lnkd.in/gW8RCHjd #CaughtDoingGood #RoofersCoffeeShop #RoofingProfessionals #RoofingContractors #RoofingIndustry

Check out our Directory of Services and connect with resources that meet your needs! If you're looking for shelters, housing options, or other related supports, visit https://lnkd.in/ecQaxkDu 📣 709-754-0536 💬 info@thrivecyn.ca 🖥 www.thrivecyn.ca 📍 807 Water Street, St. John's, NL [Image Description: The image is a promotional graphic for a "Directory of Services" provided by Thrive, specifically aimed at housing services in the St. John's - Metro Area. The graphic features the Thrive logo, the headline "Housing" in bold orange text, and an icon of three houses in a row. The headline below mentions that the directory offers resources for shelters, housing and other related supports. At the bottom is a link to the directory: https://lnkd.in/d3c8PcmY.]

Here’s a question that catches people off guard: What would happen if Utah is successful in saving the Great Salt Lake? For the past two years as the lake has been the subject of intense public scrutiny by Utahns and the world alike, the focus has been on the disaster posed by the disappearing lake. Toxic dust storms, food chain collapse, bird die-offs. All important topics to cover — and Utah newsrooms have and will continue to do so. But what if we flip the question and wonder: What opportunities open up if we save the lake? What if the Great Salt Lake remains a key natural resource at the center of a thriving ecosystem and economy? What if city planners and architects and homeowners thought about water when they designed their homes, yards and communities? What if Utahns returned to the lake’s shores and treasured it like Zion’s National Park?   Those are the kind of questions the Great Salt Lake Collaborative asks in a series of four articles we recently launched called "Why save the Great Salt Lake." Today's story by Emma Penrod is about water conservation and city design. She says it’s not just that the way we design our cities will determine how much water we use, and how much water is left over to help restore natural assets like the Great Salt Lake. A more holistic approach to urban design may in fact transform our entire way life for the better — particularly with respect to our mental health. The project was inspired by our partnership with Solutions Journalism Network, whose grant funding catalyzed our Collaborative in 2022. https://lnkd.in/g9ayd2U7

🌆🏙️ Your voice matters in shaping the future of our city. 🗣️   As Columbus continues its journey to modernize its zoning code, we have a golden opportunity to make a real impact on our community's future. 🏗️🏡   City leaders are working to overhaul outdated regulations that have been in place since the 1950s, and they're listening to us every step of the way. 📜✅ Right now, they're considering new priorities that include creating more housing options, ensuring equity, supporting local businesses and jobs, improving transit, walking, and biking, and promoting good urban design. These changes could transform our city for the better. 🌟   YOUR OPINION MATTERS! 🤝📢 City leaders are eager to hear from YOU about what you'd like to see in terms of building height, density, and design in specific areas. They've launched an easy-to-use online survey where you can share your thoughts and ideas. 📊🏢   Whether you're a young professional, a family looking for housing options, or anyone else who cares about our city's future, your input is crucial. 🏠🏘️ Take the survey now and be part of the positive change. Together, we can create a more vibrant and inclusive Columbus! 🌆🤗 https://lnkd.in/gYVx_y-4 City of Columbus Columbus City Council Columbus City Mayor's Office #ColumbusZoning #CommunityVoice #ShapeOurCity #ColumbusFuture #HousingOptions #Equity #LocalBusiness #Transit #UrbanDesign #ColumbusDevelopment