Category: Public Policy

Remember when you could empty a room by trying to work zoning philosophy into a conversation? Okay, you can still do that in most places. But the coolness quotient is on the rise, we swear. Consider the adoption late last year of a form-based code in Miami, surely one of the most exotic political environments in North... Continue Reading

What the world definitely does not need are more complicated rules for doing anything. So why are planners imposing a whole new approach to zoning on communities? To planning pros, the question seems unfair. New regulatory approaches grow from necessity. The old ones simply don’t work for getting many communities... Continue Reading

Context is everything. The New York Times reports with unease that the FDA has approved statin drug Crestor’s use in a preventive capacity for those not currently diagnosed with cholesterol problems. The degree to which this represents innovation in medicine is a topic to be debated elsewhere. What matters to me is... Continue Reading

Like any next, big something, placemaking is growing up. And in its role as gawky adolescent, it's beginning to realize something most of us have long since come to accept: You can't skirt by on youthful good looks forever. Today, efforts to create more endearing and enduring surroundings are being subjected to decidedly... Continue Reading

One of the greatest selling points of the SmartCode, the DPZ-created version of a form-based unified development ordinance, has always been its customize-ability. First of all, it’s Transect-based, which immediately separates it from conventional codes that stamp out the same rules for development everywhere in the landscape. Continue Reading

It used to be that I would claim to be too young to be cynical, but those days have long passed. The change is becoming apparent as I begin to prepare for a local PechaKucha event I’m participating in this weekend. It’s Global PechaKucha Day for Haiti to raise money and awareness for Haiti through Architecture for... Continue Reading

You will always have the poor among you, and you can help them whenever you want to. – Mark 14:07 I’m not sure Jesus could see all the way to the 21st century. If he could, he may have been more inclined to offer, “You’ll always have the poor, but there are plenty of ways to avoid their unpleasantries. And... Continue Reading

The 18th national conference of the Congress for the New Urbanism doesn’t officially start until May 19, 2010. But Atlanta, the host city, is getting a running start. Conference organizers in Atlanta are working with Metro governments, non-profits, and the private sector to create lead-in events tied to all the big... Continue Reading

Over the holiday I experienced a very 21st century weekend. Upon downloading my new Kindle App on my iPhone, I read David Byrne's Bicycle Diaries, 2009 Viking Penguin. The $14.99 book caught my attention at the local bookstore and became my first Amazon Kindle App purchase for $9.99. I know, I know... but I promise to... Continue Reading

My colleagues have quickly grown tired of my repeated references to the week I recently spent with Leon Krier while he toured Southern California to promote his new book, The Architecture of Community. The book, published by Island Press and co-edited by Dhiru Thadani and Peter Hetzel, is an updated compendium of Leon... Continue Reading