Better Cities

 

Answer the following questions. If the answer isnt in the video or article, you should use your notes from class, including the lecture video, and outside sources, such as Wikipedia. Please cite all your sources using the citation method of your choice. I dont care which citation style you use, I just want to be able to look up your sources. Some of the answers will only require a short answer, while other questions will require longer and more detailed answers. 

Please watch all of these videos:

and then answer these questions:

  1. Amsterdam has a reputation for being a bike friendly town. Discuss the key events that occurred in the urban development of Amsterdam from post WW2 to the present, that have either increased or decreased bicycling in Amsterdam. What were some proposals that were either adopted or rejected? 
  2. What are the odds of being injured on your bike in Amsterdam compared to being injured in the US?
  3. Describe woonerf, what it means, and how it is achieved in the Netherlands.
  4. Whats the relationship between the number of people riding bicycles and the number of people injured riding their bicycles? Back up your statement with examples.
  5. How is Barcelona creating livable urban neighborhoods?
  6. What are the measured benefits of Barcelona’s plan?
  7. How are the livable/walkable neighborhoods in Barcelona fundamentally different than newly created livable/walkable neighborhoods in the US? 
  8. Whats the projected population for California in 2050? How do the three possible futures for CA laid out in the VIsion CAs plan compare in terms of economic and environmental effects?
  9. How does the amount of urban segregation vary from day to night in most urban centers?
  10. Discuss whether American businesses have gotten more or less diverse over time, and why it’s a complex topic to examine. 
  11. How many households in Utrecht have bicycles? How many households have more than three bicycles?
  12. How has Utrecht made commuting by bicycle and train more convenient?
  13. How does Utrecht show cars that they are guests on some roads?
  14. Are cities or suburbs more polluting in terms of CO2 emissions? How much of a difference is there? 
  15. What does the term drive until you qualify refer to with regards to home loans? How is this idea fundamental in understanding the forces that drive urban sprawl?
  16. What demographic shift is expected to take place in the suburbs from 1960 to 2025? How does that fit with traditional ideas of who wants to live in the suburbs?
  17. Where do Boomers and Gen Y/Millennials say that they want to live? 
  18. Whats a great name for an indie band and why are those areas targeted for conversion?
  19. Discuss an example of a “dead mall” that was converted to a different use. 
  20. What is middle housing and why cant it be built in the US and Canada? What are lively and liveable neighborhoods and why are they now illegal to build in the US? 
  21. Why was zoning created? What are some benefits?
  22. How does the Netherlands make safer streets for bicycles and pedestrians? The more specific examples and details the more points. 
  23. How does the Netherlands make it easier to shop by bicycle?
  24. How does moving day differ in the Netherlands from the US?