Creating Healthy Human Habitats

How do we create the best human living conditions in cities?

Dr. Howard Frumkin, dean, School of Public Health, University of Washington, asked the audience at the National Building Museum’s Intelligent Cities forum to imagine they were zookeepers and just received a shipment of hundreds of frogs. Immediately, the zookeepers would need to create a habitat with the correct temperature, humidity, water and plants to ensure the frogs are healthy and live long lives. Cities are really just habitats for humans and our zookeepers are our elected officials, urban planners, and designers. However, Frumkin wondered if the ideal habitat is now being created for people - one that offers a healthy environment for all?

A City Dashboard

If a city were to have a “dashboard” tracking all the important indicators of a healthy human environment, “what would it feature?”, asked Frumkin. For Lucy, the dashboard would track traffic fatalities and the percentage of people driving alone to work. Lucy said traffic fatalities are actually higher in the sparser outer areas of cities. Kinney said air pollution and water quality are key data to track. Green made the case for “new intersections, miles of sidewalks and bike lanes, and percentages of people walking to work each day.”

Demographic Shifts 

Lucy sees a coming population shift that will also have major health implications. Currently, “poorer people have captured the better locations in the center of cities. They live in the convenient locations.” However, this trend is changing. With the revival of cities, “white flight has turned into white return.” As a result, the poor are moving to the suburbs. Just as in Paris, where the suburbs are the site of poorer immigrant communities, U.S. cities may soon face the same issues.

Read the full article here.

10 Best Careers for Urban Living

Over 80 percent of the population of the United States lives in cities, putting us among the most urbanized populations in the world. As metropolitan areas continue to expand in both size and population, they will continue to be epicenters of economy and employment.

While competition for the best jobs in major cities remains fierce, they remain the best places to find a wide range of jobs, and consistently offer higher salaries than their rural counterparts. Here are ten careers that will flourish in urban areas: as you can see, technology and medical fields are expected to flourish in the coming years. Read the original article for more details on each career.

• Actuary
• Environmental Engineer
• Physical Therapist
• Software Engineer
• Computer & Information Systems Manager
• Real Estate Broker
• Logistician
• Biomedical Engineer
• Anesthesiologist
• Computer & Information Research Scientist

4 Great iPhone apps for Urban Living

Phil Dotree of Man of the House posts an article outlining four of the best iPhone apps for living in the city. Dotree writes:

To live in the city, I’ve amassed a collection of awesome iPhone apps that serve to correct a few of these problems. What’s more, these apps can be powerful tools in any city. Whether you live in Des Moines, Chicago, or Los Angeles, here are a few great smartphone apps that will make urban living much easier.”

Stitcher - This app is perfect for commuters or anyone who spends an hour or two a day on a public transportation system. It streams podcasts straight to your phone, allowing you to listen to a wide variety of talk shows and music without filling your iPhone’s memory with mp3 files.

CraigsPro - I spend enough on rent that I can’t afford to drop $400 on a couch, so I constantly scour Craigslist for deals that will make city living a little more affordable. CraigsPro is a 99-cent app that actually makes Craigslist easier to view and search on your iPhone than it is on a normal computer. It’s full of features, and it allows me to look for gigs while I’m walking around or checking out apartments while I’m on the bus. If you use Craigslist, you need CraigsPro.

Wi-Fi Finder - There are a lot of great Wi-Fi finders on the iPhone, but this simply named offering from JiWire Inc. is very complete and serves its purpose. As a writer (and a bored guy who likes the Internet), I might need to find a Wi-Fi connection at any time of the day. Wi-Fi finder makes that easy, even in a big city. After you track down some free Wi-Fi, this app will help you get there. Not everyone carries their laptop around with them, but if you’re in that group, Wi-Fi Finder will make your life a whole lot easier.

UrbanSpoon - This free app lets you check out nearby restaurants and other establishments to view ratings before you go. With UrbanSpoon, my girlfriend and I don’t have to argue about where to go for dinner. We can instantly figure out whether a restaurant’s good or bad, make our reservations and spend the rest of the night arguing about something way more interesting.

Read more about each app at the original article.

Gotham vs. Pleasantville

Why Is Urban Housing So Expensive? Because People Want To Live There.

Starting in around 2002 prices everywhere began to rise, but over time the urbanized areas experienced more rapid increases. Today, the housing market is hot in walkable urban areas, and a softer in the suburbs.  Evidence of continued strong demand for urban living.

Some rights reserved by Ms. Phoenix

As pointed out by the Economist this week in a cleaver parable about Gotham vs Pleasantville, rising house prices rising faster in in urban areas vs the suburbs are a clear indicator of accelerating demand for these urban homes.   Many urban areas have limited or no room to increase supply, so if demand rises so do prices as those with the most money are able to secure the most walkable, transit oriented homes.

Imagine two areas: Gotham and Pleasantville. Say the demand to live in Pleasantville increases a little while the demand to live in Gotham soars. And say that due to differences in land use restrictions, housing supply responds dramatically in Pleasantville and very little in Gotham. Then what we’ll observe in Pleasantville is a rapid increase in population and slower growth in prices, and what we’ll observe in Gotham is rapid growth in prices and slower growth in population.

And this is exactly what we have observed in the real world. Suburbs have seen massive housing growth and rapid population growth, but prices in central cities have soared, even in many places where population numbers are level or falling.

If no one wanted to live in central cities, prices for homes there would not rise. And indeed, several decades ago, prices for homes in big central cities were dropping. But that trend has clearly reversed. You can’t draw conclusions about demand shifts from population numbers alone. This is a very simple point, and yet it’s repeatedly ignored.

Added value in a Staircase

A recent New York Times article looked at staircases in urban properties. Once thought primarily a waste of space and with very little real estate value placed on it, the lowly staircase is transforming. As the article states:

Click the photo for a slideshow at the NY Times

Stairs create separation. Stairs take up space. Stairs mean work. There are buyers out there, though, who seek a duplex. They like the separation of public and private rooms. They don’t mind losing a little space, and a bit of exercise isn’t a bad thing, either.

At the lower end of the market, duplexes typically have tight spiral staircases, and property values aren’t necessarily increased beyond the sum of the two parts. But at the high end, in penthouses and apartments with three or more bedrooms, Jonathan J. Miller said, “there’s a definite premium on duplexes, because it’s more like a house, with a real set of stairs.”

Developers in recent years have added duplexes to their apartment mix, some creating buildings made up entirely of duplexes. Brokers and developers say that duplexes attract certain buyers, and that if anything, their popularity seems to be on the rise.

Read the entire article here

5 Easy Interior Design Tips for a Modern Home

From one of my favorite Austin blogs, the Republic of Austin, Rachel Naugle shares these 5 great, simple things you can easily do NOW to make your home feel more modern.

1. Paint your walls white–and let your accessories do the talking.

White walls help frame and spotlight your artwork, furniture and accessories. Add splashes of color using vibrant rugs, throw pillows, lamps or other accessories to really make a statement. This also helps you easily change the feel of the room with each new season or design trend by just trading out the accessories.

Photo by Doug Naugle

2.  Glossy glass tiles EVERYWHERE!

On the Austin Modern Home Tour, kitchens and bathrooms gleamed with glossy glass tiles.  Some were just clear glass,  while others were subtly tinted. Still others were bright with blues and bold reds. Glass tile is also making appearances in unexpected places, like around fireplaces and trimming staircases.

3.  Become a bookworm.

Obviously modern home owners are readers (or they want you to think they are) because every home on the tour used books in the decor.  Stack your books in a single column,on low vintage bookcases, or on a coffee table–just about everywhere there’s a flat surface.

4.  Get rid of your grass and put in rocks instead.

Let’s face it: You hate mowing the lawn–so why not create a modern entrance by replacing the traditional grass with rocks?  To add a more dramatic effect, combine both light and dark rocks.

5.  Salvage some old wood.

Sometimes modern homes can seem cold and stark, and this year designers are warming up interiors with salvaged wood.  From floors to tables and bookcases, salvaged wood creates a sense of history in places that don’t have any.

Photo by Doug Naugle

Check out more pictures from the tour at Rachel’s post.  All photos by Doug Naugle.

 

Top 10 Home Trends for the New Year

At the end of every year it is interesting to see what home interior trends have persevered and what trends look like they will continue into the New Year.  This year has been exciting uses of bold prints and colors, repurposing interior decor, and maximizing outdoor spaces.

The International Business Times reports that in 2011, these trends will continue but also a need for eco-friendly interiors will escalate and interiors will continue to be shared and broadened worldwide. For the top interior home trends for 2011, here are their picks of what the New Year has to offer.

1.) The urban oasis: It was once thought that those who lived in urban environments had to live in lush penthouses to get a comfortable and sophisticated home in the city. With the onset popularity of urban lofts, the desire to live in industrial and chic decor will continue next year. Softer textiles may be brought in to soften hard finishes, while those that enjoy the exposed materials will still enjoy urban living at its finest.

2.) Home getaways: The New Year will bring on new ways to make your current home a getaway from the hustle and bustle of the world. From outdoor oasis areas with lush greenery, to recreating vacation memories in your décor. The trend will be to continue making our homes feel relaxing and serene.

3.) Repurposing will outweigh brand new: With the onset of finding better ways to re-use and re-purpose, being green in 2011 will outweigh buying brand new. While a shiny new glass table may be beautiful, the shift for décor to use glass from a previous purpose will prevail. We will not stop buying new décor, but the satisfaction of repurposing is always a better feeling, and will look great too!

4.) Natural environments: As our world gets busier and busier, the return of home environments giving us a place to escape has been well sought after for years. In the New Year, home owners will find more ways to bring tranquility to their interior and exterior environments. The use of natural materials and finishes will always be a trend that doesn’t go out of style.

5.) Family conversation areas: As families grow and the years move on, there is a steady incline of increasing family conversation areas and spaces. Kitchens now incorporate an eating island area so kids can do homework and watch mom cook. Living spaces are becoming more open to engage members of the family in different rooms. In the New Year, look for more ways for engaging in our interiors.

For the remaining five trends, read the full article here.

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