Published on September 29, 2016
September is nearly gone, but this was not a very sleepy month. The University of Washington has started the new school year and the past month has seen some tremendous developments for urban thinking and the City of Seattle.
- KQED published a piece about urban heat islands and how changes in landcover from hard-scapes and lawns to gardens and natural plantings would yield cumulative cooling effects—but in a surprising way, where day time temps would rise but night time temperatures would drop more significantly.
- KUOW published a piece about the loss of public space and how libraries have found key ways to serve a variety of citizens by providing internet connectivity and a safe place to learn and engage with each other.
- PARK(ing) Day+ was a great two-day success in Seattle. We wrote a piece about the history and importance of PARK(ing) Days and interviewed a team of students and recent UW Landscape Architecture graduates, Little Collective, about their installation and the far reaching consequences of ecologically sound stormwater management.
- Nature magazine published a very strong piece about the possibilities and challenges for urban ecological justice.
- MetroLab Network will receive support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation for the Big Data + Human Services Lab in order to coordinate and enact change for cities through unique partnerships with representatives from local government, univerisities, industry, non-profits, and and other experts. The MetroLab Network is one of Urban@UW’s emerging partnerships; this initiative addresses the application of big-data techniques to resolve urban issues through civic and academic partnerships. A kickoff event will happen this January 17, 18, 2017. Stay tuned!
Urban@UW compiles monthly recaps highlighting the urban research happening across the University of Washington.