Denser Neighborhoods Could Save Bay Area $31 Billion
The new report seems tied to California's landmark anti-sprawl law, SB 375, that aims to reduce vehicle-miles-traveled in metropolitan areas in order to meet greenhouse reduction goals. Publication...
View ArticleResidential: The Obvious Undervalued Ingredient in Town Centers
Why's it so hard for developers to properly value mixing residential in town centers? Perhaps there are still too many barriers in place thanks to government and politics.Publication Date: Thu, 07/12/2012
View ArticleSeed Money for Walkability: Who Should Pay?
"A proposed Trader Joe's in Boulder, Colorado, brought up an interesting question this week in a spirited exchange on the Pro-Urb urban issues listserv: In auto-centric places where streets and...
View ArticleHigher Home Values Preserved in Mixed-Income, Medium-Density Suburbs
An analysis of home sales in 340 zip codes in the Philadelphia region showed that neighborhoods with "exclusively low-density dwellings", as well as those "lacking income diversity" fared poorly in the...
View ArticleWilmington NC Lives Outdoors
Wilmington, North Carolina does placemaking right. From the 300' blockfaces of downtown filled with vertical mixed-use zero-lot-line buildings teeming with local purveyors of food, clothes, and song to...
View ArticleNeighborhood Form and Extreme Weather Events
In the abstract to "Adaptation", professor of sociology at New York University, Eric Klinenberg writes on the need to “climate-proof” cities —"protecting people, businesses, and critical infrastructure...
View ArticleDare to Live Outdoors
"As we re-populate our downtowns, and watch the crime statistics drop, people are seeing safety in numbers. Jane Jacobs was right about eyes on the street reducing crime.Publication Date: Mon, 01/21/2013
View ArticleHouston's 'Last, Best, Chance' to Create a Walkable, Livable Downtown...
"Favorable national development trends coupled with the strong local real estate market present Houston with a chance to get the redevelopment of the east side of downtown right and create a memorable...
View ArticleThe Rise of Municipal Urban Design Departments
San Antonio City Design Center Executive Manager describes his move from Southern California to the surprisingly progressive planning environment of Texas; and his discovery of the increasing...
View ArticleHealthy, or Unhealthy, by Design
"A few months ago, we talked about how a great city can be like a great running buddy, calling us to venture outdoors into more active, satisfying lifestyles.Publication Date: Mon, 03/25/2013
View ArticleWays to Fail at Form-Based Codes 04: Don’t Capture the Character
"Continuing our series on ways to fail at form-based codes, today we examine failure to capture local character within the code’s basic metrics, or other number errors like wide fast streets near small...
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How to Road Diet Cheaply and Easily
A fan of the narrow streets in the older neighborhood near his home but not a fan of the wide expanse of asphalt in front it, San Diego land use attorney Bill Adams ponders the benefits of narrow...
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Why 'Leave it to Beaver' Neighborhoods are Ripe for Renewal
"World War II has long been considered the watershed for automobile-oriented development. Suburbs were built prior to the war, but largely were mixed-use, walkable towns and neighborhoods of the...
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Ink Blot or Bird Sh**? Museum Design Tests L.A.’s Urban Psyche
Buried beneath the enthusiasm that’s accompanied the unveiling of Peter Zumthor’s design for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art is one important criteria by which the project should be evaluated: how...
View ArticleHigher Home Values Preserved in Mixed-Income, Medium-Density Suburbs
An analysis of home sales in 340 zip codes in the Philadelphia region showed that neighborhoods with "exclusively low-density dwellings", as well as those "lacking income diversity" fared poorly in the...
View ArticleWilmington NC Lives Outdoors
Wilmington, North Carolina does placemaking right. From the 300' blockfaces of downtown filled with vertical mixed-use zero-lot-line buildings teeming with local purveyors of food, clothes, and song to...
View ArticleNeighborhood Form and Extreme Weather Events
In the abstract to "Adaptation", professor of sociology at New York University, Eric Klinenberg writes on the need to “climate-proof” cities —"protecting people, businesses, and critical infrastructure...
View ArticleDare to Live Outdoors
"As we re-populate our downtowns, and watch the crime statistics drop, people are seeing safety in numbers. Jane Jacobs was right about eyes on the street reducing crime.Publication Date: Mon, 01/21/2013
View ArticleHouston's 'Last, Best, Chance' to Create a Walkable, Livable Downtown...
"Favorable national development trends coupled with the strong local real estate market present Houston with a chance to get the redevelopment of the east side of downtown right and create a memorable...
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