imagineSanAntonio

The Smartest Cities In The World: The definition of a “smart city” continues to evolve along with greater data availability to support assessment and the ever-developing effort to provide citizens with the best attributes to improve urban life. The author writes, “Smart cities are a complex phenomenon and any effort to measure them needs to contain … Continue reading →

The Mayor of Phoenix Talks About Better Transit in a Car-Reliant City: “…when it comes to issues of walkability and bike ability these are not soft issues. These are critically important issues when it comes to economic development. The companies and entrepreneurs that provide the highest-quality jobs—technology, science, etc.—the employees of these companies won’t come … Continue reading →

Hot and Getting Hotter: Heat Islands Cooking U.S. Cities: Cities are almost always hotter than the surrounding rural area but global warming takes that heat and makes it worse. In the future, this combination of urbanization and climate change could raise urban temperatures to levels that threaten human health, strain energy resources, and compromise economic … Continue reading →

Minneapolis Has a Plan for the Most Resilient Neighborhood in the Country: “For Minneapolis, climate change will most likely lead to wetter, hotter years by mid-century, with annual temperatures rising as much as 5 degrees. Unfortunately, like most cities, its pipes, sewers and even electricity were laid for very different weather. Adapting could require the … Continue reading →

Foot Traffic Ahead “is an important study underlining the economic power of walkable places, and identifying which metro areas are adding them fastest,” said Geoff Anderson, president and CEO of Smart Growth America. “Cities that want to thrive in our new economic and demographic realities will need to find ways to create and support more … Continue reading →

In his “Open letter to the San Antonio establishment,” Mike Greenberg writes,       “One reason why ‘the overwhelming majority of us live in the suburbs’ is that San Antonio’s ‘establishment’ — comprising almost exclusively suburban interests — would not allow the majority any other option. Only in the past decade or so has the urban core … Continue reading →

Taken as one element in the interconnected and purposefully interdependent design of the modern urban core, streetcars can play a role in facilitating the increased population densities required to support the amenities of an attractive inner city. An increased density of urban dwellers that will support the population growth expected in San Antonio — a … Continue reading →

One of the critical metrics for transportation adopted by SA2020 is Vehicle Miles Traveled Per Person. The impacts on traffic congestion and traffic fatalities, air quality, energy consumption, and our quality of life in San Antonio are all linked to how far we drive. Bill Barker asks “What’s Going On With Vehicular Travel?” in his … Continue reading →

In an SA2020 Transportation Blog titled, “What’s the best way to measure congestion, and why does it matter?” and published December 4, 2013, Bill Barker with the Office of Sustainability at the City of San Antonio writes, “Some people claim that the only time they get quiet time to themselves is when they are alone … Continue reading →