Lee Fehrenbacher//September 24, 2013//
City populations are getting bigger.
Jones Lang LaSalle estimates that every day 1 million people around the world move to a city, and that the world’s urban population now outnumbers its rural population. So, urban planning is going to play an increasingly important role in sustainability.
To that end, Portland State University’s Institute for Sustainable Solutions on Tuesday unveiled a virtual catalog of urban innovations. Museum of the City () is an online venue designed to feature cities from the past, present and future, and the cultural and technological intricacies that made them tick.
The project was spearheaded by Chet Orloff, president of the museum and a PSU adjunct professor. According to the ISS, Orloff has a significantly large private collection of art and history, and spent a decade gathering information for the virtual museum.
Orloff said in a prepared statement that as people increasingly move to cities, urban environments will be critical crucibles for sustainable living. He hopes Museum of the City will be a “home plate” of sorts for students and researchers of urban planning to share their work, and that it will inspire better decision-making by citizens and civic leaders.
Current exhibits include a feature on historic preservation in Cuba, the rise of bike commuting in London, urban agriculture in Detroit, and the implementation of green street design in Portland.