Great history of Europe's medieval new towns

“…Most people know 13th century France as the era of the great cathedrals…far fewer persons have heard of, and fewer still have seen… the new towns created in wholesale quantities in the southwestern part of the country.…”– John Reps

Great history of Europe's medieval new towns

Bastides: New Urbanism in 13th Century France
http://www.charrettecenter.com/nucouncil/go.asp?a=spf&pfk=3&gk=59

This is a transcript of an audio recording made in 2002, wide ranging discussion.


Medieval festival in Monpazier, Aquitaine, France

"Intersection density" - highest predictor of walkability

The power of intersection density by Laurence Aurbach on PedShed.net
http://pedshed.net/?p=574#more-574

"Intersection density is the most important factor for walking and one of the most important factors for increasing transit use and reducing miles driven, but gets relatively little attention in research and in public policy."
Key point: the underlying physical structure of a city sets a range of possibilities for walkability that no amount of tinkering with housing/street use/density can change.

PedShed - Great blog on walkable urban design and sustainability

PedShed - Great blog on walkable urban design and sustainability
http://pedshed.net/

Good article on Italian homelessness, illegal immigration

Good article on Italian homelessness, illegal immigration

Alarming growth in Italian homelessness - The NewsHub

In the wake of the credit crunch homelessness across the EU increased by 45%. But in Italy the number has tripled

https://www.the-newshub.com/stories/more-and-more-italians-homeless


'We have two entrances, one for Italians and one for foreigners. We already had enough fights, here.'

Videos on Europe today

Germany's mighty Mittelstand - CNN - 5 min
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/05/24/business/german-economy-mittelstand/

The cost of youth unemployment across Europe - Huffington Post - 5 min
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/27/youth-unemployment-europe_n_6554804.html

Vienna, Austria's coffeehouses - DW Euromaxx
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YmAqeS2Ei0

Paris' suburban badlands - AFP news 2:30 minhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXtu8xYWR3o

Wild Balkans - ScienceVision-See the book maps for locations of the Carpathian Mts., Danube River, Black Sea and countries of the Balkans
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXe46A0rmGQ

DC urban farm plan a bust

DC urban farm plan a bust
http://www.wjla.com/articles/2014/12/d-c-greenhouse-highly-touted-by-mayor-gray-may-not-happen-110083.html

Bright Farms, Inc. was set to break ground in December 2014 on what would have been DC's largest urban farm. However, the Anacostia location was recently found to be an unofficial landfill and dump and too toxic to build on. Bright Farms had invested $700,000.

Nordic model - would it work for America?

Two great pieces recently came out about the applicability of the Nordic model to the US.

American expat Ann Jones living in Oslo thinks the world of the Nordic model and finds it hard to explain what is wrong with America but is sure there is a lot wrong.

British author Michael Booth has a different view. He is married to a Danish woman and has lived in Denmark off and on for a decade. His recent book "The Almost Nearly Perfect People: the truth about the Nordic miracle" points out that while the Nordic countries have achieved high ranks on many international indicators of quality of life, they have their share of problems as well. His Washington Post article below mentions that Nordic countries are world leaders in coffee drinking, anti-depressant use, and violent crime.

Either way, reading both is a good primer on a region which often escapes the international eye.

The American way over the Nordic model: are we crazy?by Ann Jones
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-0111-jones-ex-pat-american-20150111-story.html

Stop the Scandimania: Nordic nations aren't the utopias they're made out to be
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/stop-the-scandimania-nordic-nations-arent-the-utopias-theyre-made-out-to-be/2015/01/16/8f818408-9aa0-11e4-a7ee-526210d665b4_story.html