Urban Design Websites
A curated database of multi-format content about contemporary urban environments and innovative case studies and research, including a lexicon of terms and books on innovative architecture and urban design.
The leading organization promoting walkable, mixed-use neighborhood development, sustainable communities and healthier living conditions, Liveable streets arranged in compact, walkable blocks, including a range of housing choices for different ages and income levels, institutions such as schools and recreation that can be reached by walking, bicycling or transit service and a human-scaled public realm of appropriately designed buildings that enliven streets and public spaces.
A collection of innovative master plans, community-based, scalable, didactic, free, open, and comprehensive database and archive of urban design projects and resources.
Books
Walking Home, by Ken Greenberg Vintage Canada, 2012
One of the world's foremost urban designers shares his passion and methods for rejuvenating neglected cities and argues passionately for the importance and possibilities of their renewal.
Ken Greenberg has long recognized that cities at their best provide much of what we seek in a place to call home. Community, places of culture and business that we can walk to, mass transit and a wealth of amenities that couldn't be supported without a city's density: the mid-century drive to suburbanization deprived us of these inherent advantages of urban living.
The Story of Upfront Carbon, by Lloyd Alter. New Society Publishers, 2024
We must cut carbon emissions to halt climate change. But they aren’t just produced by driving a car or heating a home. Upfront carbon – all emissions involved in manufacturing an item – can dwarf operating emissions, which is why when you look at the world through the lens of upfront carbon, everything changes. By focusing on consumption rather than production, The Story of Upfront Carbon:
Demystifies the complex web of cradle-to-grave life-cycle assessments, demonstrating that the accepted concept of “embodied carbon” is just one part of the carbon accounting equation
Establishes the compelling rationale for carbon minimalism, arguing that only through frugality, simplicity, and materiality can we address global inequality and avoid climate catastrophe
Shows how big-picture thinking and a broad, systemic approach to determining a product’s ecological footprint is indispensable to help guide the transition to degrowth and a zero-carbon society.
Home truths: fixing Canada's housing crisis. by Carolyn Whitzman. UBC Press, 2024
This is the book that Canadians must read to understand, confront, and solve our housing crisis.
Hundreds of thousands of Canadians exist on the edge. Renters fear eviction, homeowners feel trapped, and both are vulnerable to becoming homeless with a single stroke of misfortune. Unaffordable housing in Canada is tearing communities apart as long-time residents seek affordable housing elsewhere and businesses shutter because they cannot find staff who can afford to live nearby. For two generations, Canadians have watched affordable housing vanish while other nations have been tackling the problem.
In Home Truths, housing expert Carolyn Whitzman reviews the decades of policy that have gotten us into this mess and shows how all levels of government can work together to provide affordable housing where it is needed. Her compelling arguments for policy solutions are backed by ideas from researchers, planners, politicians, developers, and housing advocates at home and abroad.