Tim Swanson


Posts by Tim Swanson


The Challenge of the City

From the first settlements until the end of the 18th century, human kind has added one billion inhabitants to the planet.  Global population has grown by that same amount in the last decade alone.  A century ago one 1 in 10 people lived in cities; now over half the planet’s seven billion inhabitants do.  This [...]

- 28 Jan 2013

Interesting Infographic: Public Transporation

I found this interesting, tidy infographic exploring the cost, carbon emissions and utilization of public transport in the United states based on national transit statistics. I’d love for people to take a look at it and share their thoughts, comments and ideas below.  

- 23 Nov 2012

Green Cities: Good Health

Great research from the University of Washington Urban Green Research group on the value of green spaces to general health and well being of urban inhabitants.  From increased opportunity for activity to decreasing symptoms of mental health diseases and reduction of attention fatigue, the incorporation of green spaces in the urban fabric supports the mental, physical, social, [...]

- 31 Oct 2012

Promoting Healthy Transportation Policy.

I’ve recently found some very strong research from the American Public Health Association on the relationship between public health and the environment, as seen through the lens of healthy transportation policy. Here’s an excerpt from the report “Current research demonstrates that how we build our transportation systems, how and on what modality we use them, and how we [...]

- 29 Oct 2012

Superlinear Cities: A physicists rule book for urban growth

Peter Hourihan, a colleague from our Boston office, brings to light a great article from a few years ago on the research of theoretical physicists Geoffrey West and Luis Bettencourt.  Their work seeks to understand the city through a set of quantifiable laws and constants applicable to every city.  West notes, “I can take these laws [...]

- 25 Oct 2012

The Experiential Revolution and the Smart City.

So much is said about the opportunity and potential of the Smart City, yet the focus is often limited: applying technology to our traditional systems with the expectation of a Jetsonian future.  Now certainly incremental change is a very rational means to drive society forward and – accepting man’s predilection for the familiar – a thoroughly appropriate methodology.  While smart infrastructure is [...]

- 18 Oct 2012

Urban Planning Goes 3d

I just read about the great initiative by Mayor Greg Fischer of Louisville to create a tangible interaction between the designers and policy makers in Louisville and the community at large. A collaborative project between the city, the Norwegian planning firm Space Group, and the residents of Louisville, the project aims to create physical 3D [...]

- 02 Oct 2012

Adaptable Futures

Through research, competitions, and coursework at Loughborough University, the Adaptable Futures group explores the implications of time based organic usage models on the built environment.  From their website, “The project unpacks adaptability in detail looking at the complex web of dependencies that induce, hinder, and accommodate change.  The research asks what can we learn from history [...]

- 13 Jul 2012

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