• Forget 'smart'—we need 'context cities'

    Cities around the globe wrestle with how to reconcile local vernacular, technological change, and economic growth.
    Since September, I have worked in, or visited, 18 cities in Europe, Australia, and the United States, listening throughout for common messages of harmony or discord. I have been waiting for modern Sirens of the Odyssey to divert me, with some divine melody of urbanism or common thread to make sense...Read more

  • Highlights of a year in New Urbanism

    CNU members, the organization, and allies pushed forward on climate change and neighborhood affordability, published widely, and helped people reclaim their streets,
    At the end of every year, I like to take a moment to reflect on what we’ve done—as an organization and a movement. The work of building great places is hard, and it’s important for us to recognize and reflect on what we’ve accomplished to replenish our will to do more. CNU is both an organization...Read more

  • Cultivating community: Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good

    Success is people consciously working together, putting differences aside in pursuit of higher quality of life, and getting something done.
    Community fascinates me. Not just the idea of it, but the dynamics, and how those dynamics end up stoking or choking our collective efforts to be together. Having worked in a lot of different places, I’ve had opportunity to study community in action, at both its strongest and weakest, in all...Read more

  • Guiding neighborhood change with place attachment

    Focusing on what connects people to community is one way to navigate the treacherous waters between gentrification and disinvestment.
    Gentrification gets a lot of attention these days, and rightfully so. Particularly as it relates to issues of displacement. No one (or at least no one of heart) wants to see anyone forced from their home and from the community they care for and that, oftentimes, cares for them. The dangled carrot...Read more