![Character Towns, Positioning Small Cities and Towns for the New Economy by Bill Kercher](https://www.charactertowns.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Front-page-2.jpg)
Character Towns, Positioning Small Cities and Towns for the New Economy by Bill Kercher
Character Towns was written for people interested in planning, designing and managing small towns and cities. The presentation is for new professional planners, professionals in allied fields, citizens and students. The basis for the adventure into city building is to appreciate the importance of two essential ingredients: vision and leadership. FacebookTweetLinkedInEmail
Clarence Stein
A planner of note…Trained as an architect, Stein participated in several of the most influential housing complex designs of the 20th century, including the “garden city” plans for Sunnyside Gardens in Queens, New York; Radburn, New Jersey; Chatham Village in Pittsburgh; and Baldwin Hills Village (known today as Village Green) in Los Angeles. He attended […]
Active Ground Floors: What to do with all that Space on Main St?
THE PURPOSE. Buildings in main street’s “active zone” with ground floor uses and activities that are open for business during extended hours enable and expand downtown street life. Shops, cafes, restaurants, bars, entertainment venues and educational studios invite people downtown for reasons beyond work. Main street becomes a “third place” that enhances the sociability of […]
Chicago Infrastructure Trust
The Chicago Infrastructure Trust was created in April 2012 by executive order of Mayor Emanuel and City Council resolution. The Trust’s purpose is to assist the people of the City of Chicago, the City government and its sister agencies in providing alternative financing and project delivery options for transformative infrastructure projects. Hard Infrastructure and Soft […]
Renew Atlanta TSPLOST
Bond Program Highlights Atlanta voters overwhelmingly supported the Renew Atlanta infrastructure bond in a special election on March 17, 2015. More than eight in ten voters approved two ballot questions to authorize repairs, improvements and upgrades to transportation and municipal facilities projects citywide. Because of its strong credit rating, the City of Atlanta was able […]
Infrastructure Funding and Financing
A Comprehensive, Long-Range Municipal Finance Plan. THE MUNICIPAL BUDGET. A large part of the focus of every city administration is preparation, adoption and implementation of the annual budget. The 5-year capital improvements budget receives a similar level of interest. Less attention is paid to the city’s longer term comprehensive finance plan, say looking 30 to […]
![Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time by Jeff Speck](https://www.charactertowns.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2018-11-26-at-2.47.39-PM.jpg)
Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time by Jeff Speck
Walkability of cities is an important element of every city’s plans for livability, transportation, recreationand neighborhoods. Walter Kulash and Dan Burden have done seminal work on walkability for decades.Walkable City Rules is an important addition to the movement and a stimulus for continued action. Nearly every US city would like to be more walkable—for reasons […]
Property Values and Sidewalks, 2018
Purpose: The Study compares the property value of homes on one side of the street with sidewalks to homes on the other side of the same street without sidewalks. The Five Areas of Study: Ibis Drive in the City of Orlando, 2 Areas Weeks Avenue in Orange County White Avenue in Orange County N. Westmoreland […]
![Smart Machines, IBM’s Watson and the Era of Cognitive Computing by John E. Kelly III and Steve Hamm](https://www.charactertowns.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Kelly-and-Hamm-book-.jpg)
Smart Machines, IBM’s Watson and the Era of Cognitive Computing by John E. Kelly III and Steve Hamm
Implications for the American City [Lessons] Chapter 7 is entitled “Imaging the Cognitive City”. IBM has committed, along with other tech-companies such as Cisco, to address issues associated with urbanization. City and town governments, special authorities and infrastructure providers of all sorts are finding IBM at their doorstep with research and solutions aimed at health, safety, traffic […]
Small City Dashboard
Vision. A dashboard is a single place, call it a Data Analysis Center, with a broad range of selected real time information designed as a System for collecting, viewing, analyzing and responding to the information displayed in a timely manner. Strategy. The essence of the idea is to use existing streetlight and power distribution poles […]