I want to draw two insights relating human development to the way cities evolve. These insights are critical to understanding America’s housing crisis and our response to it — and why building housing in major cities can't meaningfully address the housing crisis.
Read MoreSome of the best arguments for historic preservation are not aesthetic or sentimental, but economic. Here are some examples of how the preservation and reuse of historic buildings can increase an area’s productivity.
Read MoreRegulatory reform doesn’t always mean replacing or changing zoning codes. Great designers are experts at working within existing codes to increase housing options, and this method is often more attainable and scalable than actually changing the code. Here’s one such example of using existing code to create incremental housing.
Read MoreThe unique planning and eclectic architecture of Savannah, GA, provide a PhD education on urban design—but there are also cautionary tales about development to be gleaned from this historic city.
Read MoreA collection of historic photos helped this advocate show how urban renewal marred his hometown, and left an inhospitable mess in its wake.
Read MoreThis series of studies of 19th-century development in St. Paul, MN, can help us understand some of the earliest traces of what would later become the suburban development pattern.
Read MoreIf there has ever been a good time to change our development pattern, the time is now.
Read MoreWe’ve created a society in which families have to choose between either spread-out, single-family living or dense urban living—and each side of this (artificial) binary can come with upsides and downsides.
Read MoreWhite Flint, MD, presents a great case study for how a community can begin shifting the conversation on its transportation infrastructure and development pattern.
Read MoreBuilding to the street can create urban form and character, and increase the productivity of a site—even a site like this airport hotel.
Read MoreGood urbanism doesn’t have to mean large apartment buildings or an immaculate row of brownstones; the ad-hoc version on display in this Florida neighborhood is more relevant as a model of adaptation for the rest of us.
Read MoreZoning restrictions in this Minneapolis suburb have rendered much of its original development in violation of its current rules. The city’s leadership is looking to change that.
Read MoreThe way we build our neighborhoods in North America is nothing like making a pizza. But maybe it should be.
Read MoreMixed-use development was once the norm in cities and towns, but most Americans no longer remember how it works. Here are 3 easy-to-understand forms that mixed use could (and should) take in your community.
Read MoreOur most famous case study revealed the high cost of auto-oriented development. But what if a little creative rearrangement could make things a whole lot better?
Read MoreDesign affects us in a multitude of ways, and when we look to nature as inspiration for designing the built environment, the core takeaways are: adaptation and incrementalism.
Read MoreIf you live in a city or town with old, abandoned storefronts, this one’s for you!
Read MoreIncrementalism is not an end in itself. Nor is it about a “small-is-beautiful” aesthetic for its own sake. Instead, it’s a practical pathway toward resilient, financially sound places.
Read MoreWe tend to choose larger homes than we want our neighbors to choose. The result: suburban-style development that doesn't match what people actually want from their communities.
Read MoreWhat does and doesn’t work about the “great-granddaddy” of New Urbanism?
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