Monday News Roundup

Belgium’s Médiacité Shopping Mall Complete (inhabitat)
The Médiacité in Liège shopping mall opened last October of 2009 in Belgium, and new photos of the naturally daylit mall and entertainment center have just been released. It is the first BREEAM certified project in Belgium.

Roosevelt Island Parking Sensors Will Point the Way to Smart Parking (Planetizen)
The new "smart" parking spaces on Roosevelt Island will be outfitted with Streetline's patented parking system which includes ultra-low power sensors that communicate with one another to deliver valuable real-time information, such as how long a car is parked and when a car enters and leaves a parking space. The initial system also lays the foundation for smart parking meters allowing for easier payments and better pricing."

Who will be the next TTC chair? (The Star)
The Star's list of potential contender's for the position.

Condominium market in Canada heating up (The Vancouver Sun)
Condominiums have become a hot sector of the Canadian real estate market, particularly as an option for first-time homebuyers spooked by the escalating prices for single-family homes, says a report.

Huge Living Wall with 10,000 Plants Completed in Canada (inhabitat)
While it’s not the largest living wall in North America, this vertical garden is certainly one of the most beautiful and diverse vertical gardens out there. With 10,000 individual plants representing more than 120 unique species, this living wall installation on the Semiahmoo Public Library and Royal Canadian Mounted Police Facility in Surrey is almost 3,000 square feet.

Israel's Only Subway is a Mountain Climber (Planetizen)
The Carmelit system opened in 1959 and has 6 stations along its 1.8-kilometer track that climbs Mount Carmel in Haifa, a coastal city in northern Israel. According to DesignBoom, "the system transports around 2,000 people along the track each day and is among the most unusual subway stations in the world."

The UniverCity project: An experiment in suburban urbanism (Grist)
UniverCity is an experiment in suburban urbanism in Burnaby, British Columbia, a suburb of Vancouver. Builders there are about one-third finished with this planned neighborhood next to Simon Fraser University that's borrowing some of the best traits of Vancouver's planning successes and fitting them to a challenging location -- a 1,200-foot hill.

Delhi Looks at Major BRT Expansion (Planetizen)
Officials in Delhi are proposing a major expansion of the city's new bus rapid transit system, suggesting an additional 345 kilometers. The plans include 18 new BRT corridors.

Environmental Problems Plague Dubai (Planetizen)
After decades of rapid urbanization, the emirate is now contending with a wide range of challenges to its environment and infrastructure.

Backyard cottages, coach houses, laneway houses: They’re a trend (State of Vancouver)
Where to go with laneway housing, how do they influence prices and accessibility?