A Ton of Greenhouse Gas
A Ton of Carbon Dioxide Gas is the size of a Volkswagen Beetle. Reports indicate that about 30 billion tons of CO2 entering the atmosphere annually; it seems unfathomable to 30 billion VW Beetles floating aloft each year. This seemingly invisible gas is the by-products of urban life. The sources of CO2 and other Greenhouse Gases [GHG] are known; they can be measured and controlled.
[embeddoc url=”http://www.theamericancity.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/A-Ton-of-Greenhouse-Gas.pdf” download=”all” viewer=”google”]
America’s 25 Most Sociable Cities
Sociable cities are generally character towns. The Social Business Report provides data and analysis on the factors that create settings for community sociability. Civility and sociability are the end result desired by city leaders, residents, business owners and visitors and the product of their nurturing work to set values that are commonly accepted, patterns of behavior that are followed and common courtesies that become habit forming throughout the town. The work of the Social Business Report provides ideas and information to city leaders about the attributes necessary to realize a sociable environment in a small city or town.
Criteria: In 2011, the NetProspex Social Index measured 2 key factors:
1. Social presence:
- The # of profiles on Twitter, Linkedin, and Facebook registered w/ a business email address 2.
2. Social connectedness:
- # Twitter followers
- # Facebook friends
- # Linkedin connections
Critical Thinking; Attributes of Creative Thought
Creative Thinking is a learned skill especially focused on the professions of law, medicine, architecture and planning. Creative thinking and systems thinking are the yin and yang of thoughtfulness; apparently conflicting but actually complementary. Creative thinking is about organic free-form exploration and associative ideating. Systems thinking is about structure and discipline. Like the duality of yin and yang, when practiced correctly, systems and creative thought are complementary and mutually reinforcing.
[embeddoc url=”http://www.theamericancity.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Critical-Thinking.pdf” download=”all” viewer=”google”]
The Social Infrastructure Plan; An Aspiration of the City’s General Plan
The Social Infrastructure Plan is an important part of The General Plan. It is designed to leverage economic and physical assets to promote civility and sociability throughout the city. Enhancements to the town’s social capital can be programmed and measured.
[embeddoc url=”http://www.theamericancity.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/The-Social-Infrastructure-Aspiration.pdf” download=”all” viewer=”google”]
The 2014 Best-Performing Cities Report
Best Performing Cities is a report from the Milkin Institute [2014]. It reports where America’s jobs are created and sustained. The components used to calculate the Milken Institute’s Best-Performing Cities rankings form an index that measures growth in jobs, wages, salaries, and technology output over five years (2008-2013 for jobs and technology output, and 2007-2012 for wages and salaries) that adjusts for extreme variations in business cycles. It also incorporates the latest available year’s performance in these areas (2012-2013 for jobs and technology output, and 2011- 2012 for wages and salaries). In addition, it includes a measure of 12-month job growth (August 2013-August 2014) to capture recent momentum among metropolitan economies.
www.best–cities.org/2014/best-performing-cities-report-2014.pdf
Brunelleschi’s Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture
Brunelleschi’s Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture [2000] by Ross King has given us a highly readable and fascinating story of an extraordinary fellow who produced an enduring work that all thought impossible. The strategic importance of locating civic and cultural buildings downtown becomes obvious.
[embeddoc url=”http://www.theamericancity.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/BR-Brunelleschis-Dome.pdf” download=”all” viewer=”google”]
Performance Management; The System for Learning and Innovation Organizations
Performance Management measures activities of the town government with the intent of improving performance; the best systems are not punitive, they are educational. Metrics matter. The system’s purpose is beyond auditing, it has a strong emphasis on learning and innovation. The transparent performance management system evaluates civic actions relative to the vision-driven strategy of the city.
[embeddoc url=”http://www.theamericancity.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Performance-Management.pdf” download=”all” viewer=”google”]
The City’s Economy: Plan for Prosperity
The city’s economy is designed as the power to harness and enhance the city through an economic policy that plans for success. It combines demographic analysis and economic development planning with long-range, comprehensive financial planning. Capital improvements for infrastructure are important economic development tools along with regulatory packages that provide for vision-consistent private investments in the city. The economic development plan relies on a strong data base that supports business retention and recruiting. The finance plan includes the Capital Improvements Plan for five years supplemented with a twenty+ year horizon that anticipates long-term sources and uses of funds for the broad range of the town’s needs.
[embeddoc url=”http://www.theamericancity.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/The-Citys-Economy.pdf” height=”900px” download=”all” viewer=”google”]
Urban Land Use Planning
Urban Land Use Planning, the 1995 book, has evolved and grown as a body of thought for over a half century. The Fourth Edition of Urban Land Use Planning presents the classic approaches to planning theory, city planning and practice. The Fourth Edition is chock full of tables and charts and checklists that provide the framework for comprehensive planning and planning for neighborhoods, downtowns, schools and parks. The fifth edition continues to improve the thought-process.
[embeddoc url=”http://www.theamericancity.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Urban-Land-Use-Planning.pdf” download=”all” viewer=”google”]
The General Plan for a Character Town
The General Plan for a Character Town organizes civic action and governance by integrating the social, economic and physical activities into a coherent strategy for creating pleasant and prosperous places for people to live. The process follows a vision-strategy-action continuum. The General Plan is much more than the traditional comprehensive plan. Community vision is the driver. In The General Plan, social infrastructure and economic development become inextricably associated with great neighborhoods, vibrant downtowns and productive development corridors.
The Small Town Planning Handbook
The Small Town Planning Handbook [2007] is very useful for all towns, and specifically for small towns. The contents include chapters on strategy, comprehensive planning, economic development planning, neighborhoods, downtowns and special districts covering all the relevant physical dimensions of city and town planning.
[embeddoc url=”http://www.theamericancity.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/The-Small-Town-Planning-Handbook.pdf” download=”all” viewer=”google”]
The Best Small to Mid-sized Cities in the U.S.
The Best Small to Mid-sized Cities in the U.S. reports the findings of Livability’s second on the subject. The criteria used to select the best cities was: amenities, demographics, economy, education,. Health care, housing social and civic capital and transportation. “As Livability’s editors and writers crisscross the U.S in search of great stories, we find that time and again, the best tales are told in the Main Street diners, corner churches, park benches and even the mayor’s offices of small to mid-sized cities and towns. Far from letting time pass them by, these communities are doubling down on livability for their residents. Our second-annual ranking of the Top 100 Best Places to Live celebrates the work they are doing. As with our Top 100 Best Place to Live 2014 ranking, we worked with globally-known partners to analyze the best public and private data sources. We were advised by the leading thinkers, writers and doers in the place-making space. Some new places make the list, some move up or down and some continue to score well, no matter what the metric. More than 2,000 cities were ranked, so every city on this list is in the top 5 percent of livable communities in the U.S. Spend some time getting to know them, and when it comes time for your next move, maybe you’ll think small.”
http://livability.com/best-places/top-100-best-places-to-live/2015