Posts by PlaceMakers
CARZILLA: Are huge SUVs & trucks hurting pedestrians and walkable communities?
I’ve become obsessed with the size of personal vehicles, and I’m pretty sure it’s driving my wife crazy. Every time we take a walk, run an errand, or find ourselves in a parking facility, I can’t help myself from commenting constantly about the enormous size of many newer cars, trucks, and especially SUVs compared to…
Read MoreDwelling Small: Breaking down barriers to compact living
Green Infrastructure: Let’s get spongy!
Green infrastructure encompasses a range of innovative, nature-based solutions, such as green roofs, rain gardens, permeable pavements, and bioswales. These approaches work in harmony with the environment to manage stormwater, reduce urban heat island effects, and promote biodiversity. By integrating green infrastructure into urban planning, we can make our communities more resilient, sustainable, and adaptable…
Read MoreThe Shifting Boomer Bulge: Under-appreciated impacts could make the current housing crisis worse
This is the second part of a two-part conversation with Arthur C. (Christian “Chris”) Nelson, professor emeritus of urban planning and real estate development at the University of Arizona, as well as presidential professor emeritus of city and metropolitan planning at the University of Utah. Part One is available here. More about Dr. Nelson and…
Read MoreThe Shifting Boomer Bulge: More bad news for America’s housing crisis?
This is the first part of a two-part conversation with Arthur C. (Christian “Chris”) Nelson, professor emeritus of urban planning and real estate development at the University of Arizona, as well as presidential professor emeritus of city and metropolitan planning at the University of Utah. Part Two is available here. More about Dr. Nelson and…
Read MoreSerpentine Maze: Pop-up parks in a time of pandemic
In this week’s post, PlaceMaker Hazel Borys walks us through a pop-up park that she and her friends built. And how it helps implement three of the 22 actions of the Pandemic Toolkit. Click below to launch.
Read MorePublic Participation, Part II: Equitable Outreach
This is Part II of a two-parter on community engagement strategies in a new era. Part I is here. This conversation is the third in our series addressing planning challenges for local governments in a post-pandemic future. The two previous topics can be found here and here. Jennifer Hurley is President & CEO of Hurley-Franks…
Read MoreLessons from the Pandemic: Housing, Retail, Broadband
This is the second in a series of conversations about what comes next in local government policies and processes. Geoff Koski is president of the Bleakly Advisory Group, providing advice to real estate professionals, governments, and non-profit organizations dealing with a wide- range of real estate and economic development-related issues. Read the first post in…
Read MoreAfter the Plague: Go Big or Go Backwards?
This is the first of several posts planned for the next few weeks on lessons we’re learning from the pandemic and how local and regional governments might respond – not only to the crisis itself, but also to weaknesses in policies and processes COVID-19 exposed. Let’s start with an understatement: Community development leaders – whether…
Read MoreClimate Change Update, Part II: Leveraging “The Biggest Little Things”
“The best strategies are the ones that can be implemented.” That’s a reminder from Jim Fox, director of NEMAC, the National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center at the University of North Carolina Asheville. Taking ideas to meaningful action is the bottom-line test of any plan. And it applies particularly to what is arguably humankind’s biggest…
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