Urban Planning

Blocks & Lots - The Game

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Blocks & Lots is a free game

Download or play online

Welcome to Solano Heights!

Your job is to rezone the neighborhood to improve the lives of the people who live and work there.

Read about how they made the game.

The article describes our experience and what we learned from making the game. It ends with a discussion about how learning more about games and game-making can help us become better popular educators and develop the kind of eco-systems thinking that is needed to address our most daunting urban problems.

FACILITATOR’S GUIDE to Blocks & Lots Game

Voters on JAYISGAME, (a game rating site) gave Blocks & Lots a 4.4 out of 5 rating.

Planning Commission of Solano Heights needs your help wrangling the stakeholders in the city's development and finding the layout that best suits everyone's needs... if there is one.

- Jay is Game

Blocks & Lots was produced by a creative team consisting of Esperanza Community Housing Corporation, Rosten Woo, and Dr. Pop, with the help of super-coder Jared Sain.

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10 Covered Bike Storage Solutions

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More Communities are seeking solutions to covered bike storage.

Read about Bike Storage rooms in NYC

Colorful Kiosks could be the future of Urban Bike Storage

Bike Shelters on Duke University Campus

Covered Bike Storage with Repair Station

Class I Bike Storage

Some locations require Class I standards (commonly referred to as long-term bike parking). Class I parking regulations are implemented when bicycles will be parked for hours at a time. Examples of these environments are office buildings, elementary schools, libraries, etc. When implementing Class I bike racks, installers should also incorporate some form of weather protection for the racks and bikes.

Class II Bike Storage

More commonly seen in public areas are Class II bike racks. These bike racks are needed when cyclists will be leaving their bikes unattended for less than two hours. Weather protection is not as important for this class (although nice to incorporate if possible). However proximity to main attractions and public visibility should be considered to encourage usage and enhance security. Class II bike racks can be implemented near restaurants, parks, picnic areas, or other similar places.

from Wikipedia

“A lot of fun stuff happens when you go out on a bike compared to when you’re in a car. You’re more in the environment. It’s enjoyable. Even when it’s raining it’s still fun.
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— Stone Gossard
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What are Super Blocks ?

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A superblock or super-block is an area of urban land bounded by arterial roads that is the size of multiple typically-sized city blocks. Within the superblock, the local road network, if any, is designed to serve local needs only. From Wikipedia

The superblock concept has been applied retroactively in Barcelona's La Ribera and Gràcia districts, which both have a medieval street network with narrow and irregular streets, since 1993. In these two cases it resulted in an increase of journeys on foot (over 10%) and by bicycle (>15%) and in a higher level of commercial and service activity.[12] From Wikipedia

Modern cities are designed for cars. But the city of Barcelona is testing out an urban design trick that can give cities back to pedestrians.

“ The plan is based around the idea of superilles (superblocks) – mini neighbourhoods around which traffic will flow, and in which spaces will be repurposed to “fill our city with life”, as its tagline says.”
— https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/may/17/superblocks-rescue-barcelona-spain-plan-give-streets-back-residents

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