EDGI 541 Digital Artifact Essay What is the future of Urban Planning (J.

Kim)

There are many facets to urban planning, and each topic in itself can be explored
independently in great depth. However, for those without a background in urban planning I
wanted to share some broad ideas about urban planning that focused on eco-cities, and what
sustainable practices they are implementing, the connections between sustainability and urban
planning and what it means for transportation.
For this assignment, I choose ThingLink again because I really liked the freedom to
customize and organize different online resources. The links can be arranged in any manner to fit
the background so that it is visually streamlined. I created the background image using only
Powerpoint by configuring a combination of shapes and text boxes. I took the main themes of
urban planning that I wanted to share to create a word collage (ideas, eco-cities and public
transportation). Similar to my last digital artifact I wanted to apply a level of organization for the
placement of the links that were collected. The links that are related to that theme are located
within that designated area of the image. The overall color scheme does follow a green trend
which is the color that is often associated with sustainability and the environment.
Within the ideas section, the first article from Citi.io shares some of the non-traditional
ideas that have emerged from around the world. Some cities choose to promote bicycle usage
while others found innovative ways to harvest energy. The next article from
MultiFamilyExecutive promotes the idea of mixed use zoning while engaging the community
and aligning it with transportation needs. The final link in this section is a Youtube clip that
talks about walkability. Walkability seems to be the current buzzword that cities have taken
particular interest in. The video explains why it is good for the city to increase their walkability
level, and how it can be accomplished.

EDGI 541 Digital Artifact Essay What is the future of Urban Planning (J.Kim)

The following Eco-Cities section identifies the cities that are currently making strides in
sustainable urban development. The first link from Fast Company shares a list of the winners
from the City Climate Leadership Awards that demonstrated "excellence in urban sustainability
and leadership in the fight against climate change" (Scjwartz, A, 2013). The next link is an
infographic that provides statistics about carbon dioxide emissions and compares international
metropolitan areas in different areas of going green. In my research, Singapore consistently
appeared in various articles in regards to its successful sustainability efforts. The Youtube link
walks you through what some of them are.
Of all the topics within urban planning, open spaces seems to be the most controversial.
The health benefits seem obvious, and are explained in the Guardian article. However,
contention arises if it means that it will be replacing an existing parking lot. Parking in urban
areas is always an issue and not everyone will appreciate the reduction in parking to create a new
green space. Or if the location of a proposed open space may favor more gentrified
neighborhoods then equal access become an issue. Philadelphia is going through its own
greening process with the Love Park renovation. A link to the presentation of the four design
concepts is included in this section.
For public transportation we read about the debate between selecting the compressed
natural gas versus emission controlled diesel bus. Using sustainable buses is certainly one aspect
of sustainable transportation. How it ties into urban planning is discussed in the TedX talk from
the University of Connecticut and provides examples from Spain in how the city layout promotes
better transportation. The article points out how major cities in the Northeast dominate public
transportation ridership but the same trend is not seen elsewhere.

EDGI 541 Digital Artifact Essay What is the future of Urban Planning (J.Kim)

Urban planning is a prime example of how the social, environmental and economic
aspects of sustainability all merge together. All the different projects and ideas each have
components that tap into each of the three areas and are about making a place more livable for
everyone. Not everyone lives in a city but the concept of urban planning can be applied when
we think about where we want to live. As we saw when we took the eco-footprint quiz, where
we live greatly influences how big our footprint is.

EDGI 541 Digital Artifact Essay What is the future of Urban Planning (J.Kim)

References
Balch, O. (2015, April 20). Garden cities: Can green spaces bring health and happiness?
Retrieved May 2, 2015, from http://www.theguardian.com/sustainablebusiness/2015/apr/20/garden-cities-can-green-spaces-bring-health-and-happiness
CollingwoodPlannings channel. (2011, March 21) Urban Planning 101- Walkability [Video
file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifKOB-d3uds
Cox, W. (2015, April 10). Transit Ridership Increases: No Escape from New York. Retrieved
May 2, 2015, from http://www.newgeography.com/content/004895-transit-ridershipincreases-no-escape-new-york
ENGIE. (2015, January 23). Singapore, Sustainable City [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UThgJGtbtm0
Hargreaves Associates (2015). JFK Plaza/ Love Park Improvement Project [Powerpoint slides].
Retrieved from
http://www.phila.gov/ParksandRecreation/PDF/Love_Park_Public_Meeting
%20Presentation.pdf
Jaffe, E. (2015, April 1). A Case Study in Flawed Street Design. Retrieved May 2, 2015, from
http://www.citylab.com/cityfixer/2015/04/a-case-study-in-flawed-street-design/389291/
Malcolm, C. (2015, April 15). City Planning: How to Seamlessly Blend Residential and Retail.
Retrieved May 2, 2015, from http://www.multifamilyexecutive.com/designdevelopment/construction/good-urban-design-requires-blending-in_o
Quirky Ideas For More Sustainable Cities. (2015, April 30). Retrieved May 2, 2015, from
http://www.citi.io/2015/04/30/quirky-ideas-for-more-sustainable-cities/
Scjwartz, A. (2013, September 5). The 10 Cities That Are Leading The Way In Urban
Sustainability. Retrieved May 1, 2015, from http://m.fastcompany.com/3016816/the-10cities-that-are-leading-the-way-in-urban-sustainability
Simon Fraser University Continuing Studies. (2012, January 26) The Melbourne Experience:
Public lecture on urban planning at SFU Continuing Studies [Video File]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfnynzD0yDI
TEDx Talks. (2013, October 20). Sustainable transportation in cities: Ricky Angueira at
TEDxUConn 2013 [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=o793_X9c3b4

EDGI 541 Digital Artifact Essay What is the future of Urban Planning (J.Kim)

The Economist. (2015, April 4). Poor land use in the world's greatest cities carries a huge cost.
Retrieved May 3, 2015, from http://www.businessinsider.com/poor-land-use-in-theworlds-greatest-cities-carries-a-huge-cost-2015-4
Which Cities are Embracing the Green Revolution? (2012, November 26). Retrieved May 2,
2015, from http://visual.ly/which-cities-are-embracing-green-revolution