Category: Planning and Design
2016 Groves Award Winner
We'd like to help celebrate this year's Groves Award Winner! Andy Blake, City Manager for the City of Ranson, West Virginia, will receive the 2016 Groves Award, given annually by the Congress for the New Urbanism and the Transect Codes Council to recognize outstanding leadership and vision in the promotion of Transect-based... Continue Reading
It’s the Complexity, Stupid! (Try ‘splainin’ that in an elevator)
I’m writing this as Wisconsin voters appear poised, if we’re to believe the hyperventilating pundits, to push the reset button on the 2016 presidential primary season. All bets are off from here on.
Not the smart money, though. That’s because the presidential campaign is likely to play out within boundaries shaped... Continue Reading
Benchmarks: Places on the move measure up
As spring tempts us to pick up the pace of our outdoor activities, it's clear that not all places have equal footing. Those well-positioned to draw us out into health-boosting active transportation are enjoying all sorts of benefits. City planners across North America are trying hard to even the playing field. The 2016... Continue Reading
Placemaking vs. Placeshaking
A recent post over on Comstock's reignited consideration of the word "placemaking," sparking some of our own thoughts on the matter.
Given that we as a firm have officially been "placemakers" (on legal documents and everything!) since 2003, we unsurprisingly have our own thoughts on what this rather ill-defined word... Continue Reading
The Next Frontier for Compact Walkability? It’s gotta be the burbs
This weekend in Miami, the Congress for the New Urbanism is staging one of the periodic Councils it uses to focus perspectives and best practices on topics of growing concern to CNU members and fellow travelers. This one is all about building “a Better Burb.”
The idea, says CNU CEO Lynn Richards, is “to leverage... Continue Reading
Smart Design = Smart Policy:
Eezy-Peezy? Not so fast
See if this sounds familiar:
The city planning staff, maybe working with an expert team of design consultants, comes up with what they think is a no-brainer solution to a high-profile problem. Say, a proposal for much-needed multifamily development to address workforce housing demand. Or a plan to fix a blighted block... Continue Reading
Fortunately, Unfortunately: A children’s primer on urban evolution
Not so long ago I was reminded of a book my Mom used to read me as a child: “Fortunately,” by Remy Charlip (briefly renamed “What Good Luck! What Bad Luck!” for a few years as well). It tells the tale of a young boy invited to a party and the series of misfortunes he experiences on his way there.
(more…) Continue Reading
Tags Scott Doyon
Filling in the ‘Missing Middle’: No new wheels, please
For lots of reasons, including the ones PlaceMakers’ Scott Doyon explains here, Seaside, on the Northwest Florida Gulf Coast, makes a great place to talk about the appeal of small-scale dwellings in small-lot neighborhoods. Certainly, hanging out in a place where the real estate market has bid up the price for small... Continue Reading
Charrette: A Social Innovation Lab
When you think social innovation, you might think micro loans in developing countries, or hand-ups to help people in from the fringes here at home. Or a wide range of ways to build social capital or how charitable institutions backstop community with philanthropy. But for those of you who are working in the city planning... Continue Reading
Traditional vs. Modern: More than just a pretty face
New Urbanism, by definition, is style neutral. Its focus is getting the form -- the urbanism -- right but then letting the architecture be what it may.
That’s not to suggest, of course, that many New Urbanists don’t have very strong feelings one way or the other. Many do. Particularly as it relates to traditional... Continue Reading
Category Architecture, Planning and Design