November 2011
http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/2036698
http://www.communities.gov.uk/newsstories/communities/2039793
http://www.communities.gov.uk/newsstories/communities/2039793
"75 per cent of factors that influence people’s health occur outside the healthcare system. An article in the Globe and Mail suggests that the key to getting Canadians healthier is to...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/technology-video/8922159/Londons-Millbank-tower-collapses-in-spectacular-Nokia-Lumia-light-show.html
A review article tracking the recent history of urban thinking.... covering...
Mega projects - eg Highline http://www.thehighline.org/
Beltine - of green park, new develoment and a rapid transit...
http://m.theage.com.au/national/laptoptoters-changing-shape-of-urban-design-20111127-1o1gl.html
http://www.civilbeat.com/articles/2011/11/29/14031-urban-planning-architecture-books-atop-hawaii-governors-desk/
An example of a civic leader with an appreciation of urban design and the long term...
http://www.timesofoman.com/innercat.asp?detail=52458&rand=
Two-step project has begun with a consulting team who will look at urban design and landscaping guidelines for the entire city before moving onto detailed streetscaping guidelines.
http://www....
Researchers at Dartmouth College suggest in a paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of a rating scale to score the extent to which photographs of people have...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15888124
This BBC magazine speculates that the downfall of the 1950s and 60s tower block was a combination of poor design, poor construction (including buildings...
Researchers at the Technical University of Madrid (UPM, Spain) have created "shadow models" and a type of software that calculates the amount of solar radiation that reaches streets and...
A study of Norwegian cities suggests that suggest that a one-hour extension of bar closing hours led to an increase of an average of 20 violent cases at night on weekends per 100,000 people per year...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/housing-network/2011/nov/29/disabled-tenants-inaccessible-housing?INTCMP=SRCH
Mercer Quality of Living Survey has been published
http://www.mercer.com/press-releases/quality-of-living-report-2010
Glasgow named as top city for personal security
http://www.heraldscotland....
Plain English Guide
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/localismplainenglishupdate
http://www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/decentralisation/localismbill/
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/housingstrategy2011
Graham Smith has provided this analysis of terms used in the document
urban design - 1 mention
design - 103
architecture...
http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/accessible-train-station-design
Resources published by the Department for Transport
http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/tal-5-11
http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/alternatives-to-travel/next-steps.pdf
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2064106/Why-living-city-makes-fat-infertile-blind-depressed-causes-cancer.html
An article that draws together some of the research that has been developing...
A story from the University of Alberta of grandiose development dreams falling prey to economic dynamics, and lack of democratic process
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-11/uoa--ovc112211....
http://www1.umn.edu/news/news-releases/2011/UR_CONTENT_363946.html
The urban parks studied had average noise levels ranging between 62 and 72 decibels (dB); squares, between 54.5 and 62 dB, and university campuses, between 53 and 58.5 dB. The lowest average levels...
Members of the public in Sheffield and Manchester were shown images of how their local areas could be developed in the future and were asked to state how much more they would be willing to pay for...
Unfortunately this research, although potentially of great interest, has been reported in a way that it is difficult to draw conclusions..
http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2011/11/more-...
Univeristy of Sheffield studies of the river Don show that in hot weather and during the daytime, the river has a significant cooling effect.
Computer modelling techniques have been used to redesign...
Projections by Northwestern University USA have predicted that:
In 2020, 83 percent of men and 72 percent of women will be overweight or obese.
In 2020, 77 percent of men and 53 percent of women...
The study found that obesity in adulthood has the greatest adverse consequences when the individuals as children had a relatively low body mass index.
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/news/pressreleases/...
The Commission's Action points
(Full details elaborated in "Summary for Policy Makers" document at http://www.ccafs.cgiar.org/commission)
Integrate food security and sustainable...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/nov/15/mongolia-ice-shield-geoengineering
The Telegraph reports that the figures were based on CBI estimates that themselves are nearly 20 years old. The RTPI said “We don’t think there is any evidence, that planning...
Annual housing supply in England amounted to 121,200 net additional dwellings in 2010-11. This is a 6 per cent decrease on the 128,680 net additional homes supplied in the previous year, and compares...
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/mayorsconsultation
Consultation closes 3 January 2012.
They coin the term neuroarchitecture. They pose the quesiton why there is so much focus on the development of environments for children and so little on the elderly
http://www.eurekalert.org/...
The genetic predisposition to obesity due to the 'fat mass and obesity associated' (FTO) gene can be substantially reduced by living a physically active lifestyle.
Medical Research Council...
The study reports that people are healthier, much more likely to be educated beyond secondary level, more likely to be married, but also that there are more people who are lonely.
http://www....
The software enables the simulation of different parking arrangements and pricing structures and the impact on traffic flows.
The authors also suggest that many major cities make two main...
An example here of the apparent difficulty experienced by people who write press releases of conveying useful information. One has to find and read the abstract for useful information.
Relationship...
Article reports on wind tunnel testing and modelling which has led to the development of formulae and methods that have been adopted in the national code of China and a local load code and have...
The goal of the Smart City-Smart Village initiative is to improve everything from energy use to healthcare, education, traffic and shopping by doing it "smart" with the help of ICT.
http://...
Identify subpopulations that contribute most to environmental degradation and those that are most vulnerable to its consequences. In poor countries especially, these subpopulations are readily...
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-10/uof-gmp102611.php
Motorists decde whether or not to share - eye contact is not significant
the willingness of a motorist to give way to others decreases with increasing speed, and falling away particularly after...
The first Zebra Crossing was opened in Slough, Berkshire, on 31st October 1951
The sources below suggest that the Zebra may be phased out in favour of other more expensive signalised crossings....
Over two thirds of households that own 2 or more cars use their garages for general storage.
http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=148487
