Asterisk

A Placemaking Journal

Disappointment, Pessimism, Rage: Is this America at middle age?

Ben Brown
Ben Brown
Still wondering about why it’s so hard to have a civil conversation about planning for the future in so many places? Or why everyone seems so pissed about everything all the time? Could it have something to do with the telltale bulge in the waistline of American demography? (more…) Continue Reading
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Transit Oriented Development: A few notes from Winnipeg BRT

Hazel Borys
Hazel Borys Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
This Monday, the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ convened a Transit Oriented Development Summit, to talk about how to make neighbourhoods around Winnipeg's new Bus Rapid Transit system sing. Right from the start, it was great to see downtown businesses understand that the strength of the spokes adds up to a stronger wheel. Stefano... Continue Reading
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Selling Urbanism: Don’t be an Aristarchus

Scott Doyon
Scott Doyon Twitter Instagram Facebook
As placemakers, we know that the challenges of the built environment require more than just new ideas — no matter how clever, unique or seemingly innovative. That was the approach of the 20th century and — no spoiler alert required — it didn’t work out all that well. In retrospect, we know now that the ideas of... Continue Reading
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Berliner Kinder: Berlin and its playborhoods

Hazel Borys
Hazel Borys Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
You've heard my fellow Placeshaker, Scott Doyon, say Smart Growth = Smart Parenting. More than once, actually. As well as how living in a walkable neighbourhood may shape our children. I've also talked about how my winter city, Winnipeg, nurtures active kids, as well as put some of those ideas into a TEDxTalk. Last... Continue Reading
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Lessons Learned from Berlin Shopfronts

Susan Henderson
Susan Henderson Instagram Facebook
Like many European cities, Berlin teaches us myriad lessons in building successful shopfronts. While the exclusive international shops along Kurfürstendamm and Friedrichstrasse are elegant and effective, the more creative successes are found in neighborhoods and courtyards. Kaid Benfield’s People Habitat describes in... Continue Reading
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Mixing Light Industrial with Residential: The artisan’s delight

Hazel Borys
Hazel Borys Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
We've talked extensively here on PlaceShakers about how to integrate industrial uses into walkable neighborhoods. And the sorts of land use modifications, often via form-based codes, that are necessary to enable these uses within safe parameters. This week in Berlin, I was particularly inspired by the example set by... Continue Reading
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Irony and Inevitability: Stumbling towards accountable public policy

Ben Brown
Ben Brown
By Wednesday morning, we’ll know which political party gained and which lost ground in Congress. As for learning about the direction of federal policy and its short-term impacts in states, regions and local communities: Not so much. But not for long. That’s because time is running out on the baked-in paralysis in... Continue Reading
Category Public Policy
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An Interview with Kaid Benfield, Newly-Announced ‘Senior Counsel’ for PlaceMakers

Ben Brown
Ben Brown
Kaid Benfield, newly-announced ‘Senior Counsel’ for PlaceMakers. Many of you know -- or know of -- Kaid Benfield, who’s led smart growth and sustainability initiatives at the Natural Resources Defense Council for two decades. Kaid is stepping down from his NRDC post. And we’re delighted to announce that he’ll... Continue Reading
Category News, Q&A
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Going Viral, but Not in a Good Way

Ben Brown
Ben Brown
Hello, you in the hazmat suit. Can we talk? Though no one can authoritatively predict, from an epidemiology perspective, what will happen next, Ebola reached new levels of infection in the body politic last week. Republicans and Democrats seem pretty sure they’ve identified likely sources of toxicity. And it should... Continue Reading
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A Comprehensive Accounting of Economic and Environmental Performance: Who’s in?

Hazel Borys
Hazel Borys Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
For the last several decades, North American cities have used growth as a primary economic engine. Increasingly less dense new growth is subsidized by the more dense core, but requires a growth rate that is not supportable by the market cycle in most places today. As growth rates stalled, decreased, or went negative, city... Continue Reading
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