• Snow-globe urbanism

    A recent snow captures the beauty of a 1.7-acre cottage development, a new extension of the Village of Cheshire in Black Mountain, North Carolina—near Asheville. Architect and urban designer Tom Low designed the Pocket Court Project around two oval-shaped greens using a " light imprint " approach...Read more

  • Garagescape

    The domination of the streetscape by garages is common in drive-only suburbs. There are no "eyes on the street" from inside the houses—so the connection with neighbors is tenuous. What you don't see in this photo—because it is out of the scope of the lens—is the actual street, which is wide and lit...Read more

  • The beauty of 25-foot urbanism

    These photos of Over-the-Rhine in Cincinnati were taken and assembled by architect Tom Low . These 4- and 5-story masonry buildings were built circa 1900 on 25-wide lots—a standard American system of platting. They all have interesting detail on the ground floor and walk-up stairs inside as well as...Read more

  • Transect of incremental urbanism

    When you have a chicken and egg problem, have a chicken omelette.
    The term " missing middle " is widely used to describe small-scale, incremental housing development, but what about the commercial element that helps make a neighborhood attractive? Many experts advise that a certain number of "rooftops" are needed for commercial development, which leaves a chicken...Read more