Introduction

I am an urban planner from New York City. I recently completed studies at Columbia in Urban Studies and Planning. While I was there, my research focused on the feasibility of reducing car dependency in the United States through urban planning, economics, and policy. In addition to New York, I have lived in London, a small town in Northern Italy, Asunción (Paraguay), Buenos Aires, and Minneapolis-Saint Paul. This is me:

I have recently been lured to Germany by a sustainability and renewable energy fellowship, and am now working for the Stuttgart regional planning agency (Verband Region Stuttgart). I will be here for at least three months, and consider this a great opportunity to embark on a project inspired by one of my favorite authors, Robert Cervero. I have decided to research the different land use planning methods and transportation systems in the cities that I visit. For those of you who haven't read his book "The Transit Metropolis," it provides wonderful insight into the different ways that cities of all sizes in different parts of the world can configure themselves to become sustainable, transit-oriented, highly livable places.

Though I will initially write a great deal about Stuttgart, which is a fascinating example of regionally coordinated planning, I plan to branch out into the rest of Germany and Western Europe. Possible case studies include Berlin, Karlsruhe, Munich, Vienna, Freiburg, as well as Amsterdam, Paris, Bordeaux, La Rochelle, Stockholm, etc. All of this research will be published here on a regular basis.

The main questions I ask are the following: What makes cities here different (dare I say better, from a planning and sustainability perspective) than most of those I've seen and studied in North America? How can these characteristics, methods, and policies be replicated or adapted abroad? What insights do these compact transit cities provide for growing cities in the developing world? But also, what are the drawbacks of the planning and policy tools used here in Europe?

I welcome responses, questions, critiques, and challenges to my ideas. Unlike most blogs, I assure you that this one will not be personal. Naturally, I have my own biases about urban planning, which I will not attempt to dissimulate. I may at times wander into the fields of food politics, environmental and renewable energy policy, and social commentary. However, the majority of my posts will be urban planning and transportation-related.