• Urbanism and the meaning of life

    Jane Jacobs, Christopher Alexander, and why good urbanism requires good philosophy
    I am new to New Urbanism, still finding my way around its leading ideas and projects. And as an academic, trained in philosophy no less, I sometimes wonder why I find all of this so captivating. Perhaps the reason should be obvious: there is in fact a rich philosophical dimension to contemporary...Read more

  • Missing middle close up: Bungalow courts

    A bungalow court consists of a series of small, detached structures, providing multiple units arranged to define a shared court—an important community-enhancing space.
    We’ve closely documented lots of examples of the Missing Middle housing and explored the world of carriage houses . This time, we’re looking at a charming, clustered type of Missing Middle Housing: the bungalow court. Like a lot of other Missing Middle Housing types, bungalow courts are present in...Read more

  • Planning a neighborhood square

    With a mix of local stores below apartments that provide “eyes on the square,” shade trees, and places to sit, a European-style neighborhood square is a place where everyone belongs.
    Unlike a city’s main square that, from time to time, brings together representatives from all over the city for major festivals, concerts, and special events, a neighborhood square has certain unique social functions: it is frequented every day of the year by those who live in the neighborhood; it...Read more

  • How Jacobs and Alexander unlock 21st Century problems

    Review of Cities Alive: Jane Jacobs, Christopher Alexander, and the Roots of the New Urban Renaissance, a book by Michael Mehaffy.
    I realized soon after I delved into Cities Alive that I was reading an important analysis for urbanism—now and in the coming decades. Those in the land-use planning and development business know the stories of urban renewal damage, the failure of modern urban projects like Pruitt-Igoe, and the...Read more