Welcome to Switzer Network News, a regular series of news reports produced by Jerry Kay of Media Interchange and Switzer Fellows. These reports profile the environmental accomplishments and innovations of Switzer Fellows as leaders in their respective fields.  We encourage you to subscribe to our reports which are available via iTunes, Google, and Yahoo, as well as email.

Switzer Network News: Architecture & Urban Planning Posts

TransForm: Building with Transit in Mind
Monday, January 2 2012

How does urban sprawl and highway expansion impact the environment and the quality of life? That question is being addressed by TransForm, a coalition of environmental, social justice and public health groups in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Uncovering the Ecological Past
Thursday, October 27 2011

Switzer Fellow Chuck Striplen (2003) talks about the important role played by historical ecologists in uncovering the pre-colonization landscapes of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Fixing Transit Access for Baby Boomers
Friday, July 1 2011

By 2015, more than 15.5 million Americans 65 and older will live in communities where public transportation service is poor or non-existent. Stuart Cohen, Executive Director of TransForm and 1996 Switzer Fellow, talks about a new report entitled Fixing the Mobility Crisis Threatening the Baby Boom Generation.

Brownfields: Revitalizing Communities
Monday, November 15 2010

Switzer Fellow Carol Tucker, who manages the New England Brownfields Program for the US Environmental Protection Agency, explains how brownfields offer major opportunities for community development and revitalization.

Building Energy Efficiency into Multi-Family Dwellings
Thursday, September 23 2010

About one-third of the homes in California are multi-family units and saving energy in these units has significant potential. Beckie Menten, Switzer Fellow and Research Fellow with the California Public Utilities Commission, offers a perspective on this issue.

Creating Sustainable Communities
Friday, July 2 2010

In 1997, Oakland, California, began to face the challenge of sustainability on a community level. Today, Oakland enjoys cleaner air, improved recycling, more bike lanes – and a consistent ranking in the Top Ten U.S. Green Cities. Garrett Fitzgerald, Oakland’s Sustainability Coordinator and a Switzer Fellow, shares key steps.