A Placemaking Journal

When President Obama declared, before an audience in Ft. Myers, Florida, on Feb. 10, an end to "just building sprawl forever" (fast-forward to around 58:58 for the money quote), it may have signaled a change of venue in the battle over how the stimulus package is interpreted and applied. President Obama addresses residents... Continue Reading

It probably won’t surprise most folks that the pursuit of more traditional (and sustainable) urban patterns is often thwarted by…  lawyers! But here’s a refreshing change: Two of them – Dan Slone and Doris Goldstein, with Andy Gowder – have just released A Legal Guide to Urban and Sustainable Development for... Continue Reading

A recent New York Times article, examining struggling efforts to preserve the architecture of the New Deal, raises an interesting question: Why do some attempts at preservation capture broad-based attention and support while others wither away as fringe acts of desperation? The answer might have a lot to do with beauty. Continue Reading

How serious is the implosion of the once-booming urban condo market? And what does the downturn say about the prospects for housing in urban centers? A piece in the business section of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution seems to say it all. Desperate to unload some units in "a stagnant market," says the sub-headline,... Continue Reading

When the Democrats' $825 billion economic stimulus seemed to choose same-ol' over sustainable, Smart Growth advocates and New Urbanists began turning up the heat. Favoring super highways over mass transit, rail, pedestrian, and biking alternatives incentivized sprawl for decades. And isn't sprawl part of what got us in... Continue Reading

The New Urban Guild, an association of some 60 prominent designers with New Urbanist leanings, met January 10 in Miami to formulate a strategy for creating sustainable architecture for the new American future. The Guild is determined to create a new series of building types that not only hit affordability marks but also... Continue Reading

Vince Graham, the New Urbanist developer of the award-winning I'On TND in the Charleston metro area, has a "get real" message for home owners and realtors. Like other established New Urbanist properties, I'On has weathered the current housing slowdown better than conventional suburban projects nearby. Yet owners determined... Continue Reading

Considerable attention has been paid to development in urban cores and new neighborhoods on the exurban periphery. But in between, the out-of-date and unsustainable developments in existing suburbs also provide enormous opportunities for regeneration. Retrofitting Suburbia: Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs,... Continue Reading