Planning

In my former life as a lawprof and private consultant focused on New Urbanism, I remember many trips to many different cities where I shared my best advice on how to overcome the challenges of sprawl development.  During every one of those seminars, speeches, and the like, I offered what I thou... read more »

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What happens when you provide something that everyone wants? ... read more »

"Not only do Americans strongly believe community planning is critical to jump starting our nation's economy, but a majority want to be personally involved with community planning efforts, whether they live in a city, a suburb, a small town, or rural America," says APA Chief Executive Officer Paul... read more »

After I wallowed in Duany’s crowning achievement for 4 days, I finally headed down the 30A to spend a day where it all started. I of course was aware of Seaside’s legacy, celebration, and the bouts of criticism its endured over the last few decades (even by its own creators.) I kne... read more »

There's been a lot of argument on a new urbanist listserv about DC's height limits. (In the interest of full disclosure I note that I'm doing some of the arguing!)  I think one of the concerns animating opponents of taller buildings is the fear of a high-rise monoculture.  Coincidentally, ... read more »

"I think the specific scheme of diversity zoning, or the specific combination of schemes, that an outstandingly successful city locality requires is likely to differ with the locality... A park being surrounded by intensive duplications of tall offices or apartments might well be zoned for lower bui... read more »

This Memorial Day weekend I had the opportunity to go the hotbed of New Urbanism on the 30A coast in the Panhandle of Florida. Of course I was thrilled to finally see what many consider to be the foundation of New Urbanism and the development that catapulted Duany Plater-Zyberk (DPZ) into architectu... read more »

I realize that high-rises aren't perfect.  They may consume more energy than smaller buildings, and under the wrong circumstances, high-rises can coexist with bad urbanism (for example, a tall building in the middle of a suburban office park, or surrounded by ten-lane roads).  Having said ... read more »

Los Angeles has over 7000 people per square mile, yet doesn't have a reputation as a particularly walkable place.  By contrast, I was pretty happy living without a car in Carbondale, IL (a small college town with 2178 people per square mile).  How come? ... read more »