• Eleven ways to retrofit suburbs

    Transforming suburban places is a growing and necessary trend across America. What are the tactics to make it happen?
    The transformation of specific underutilized places in conventional suburbs is gaining momentum for several reasons. Suburban municipalities with little or no walkability are losing younger generations who are enamored with walkable urban places. From a regional standpoint, a balance of supply and...Read more

  • Pattern retrofitting with immigrants

    This is Part 4 of a series on retrofitting urban patterns to create more resilient places where decentralized capital can flourish. This article, the last of the series, discusses how immigrants may play a role in getting us there.
    Note: See Part 1 , Part 2 , and Part 3 of this series.​ This article series has used Cobb County, near Atlanta, Georgia, as a muse. Much has been written recently about Cobb County on the national stage and it’s a place I know well. But realistically, is Cobb County a good cultural candidatefor...Read more

  • Pattern retrofit for resilience options

    This is part 2 of a series on retrofitting urban patterns to create more resilient places where decentralized capital can flourish.
    It is understandable if leaders of places like Cobb County, Georgia, a poster child for American sprawl, are not interested in addressing their deep urban pattern problems. Fixing underlying block, street, and lot patterns is not a sexy topic like architecture, placemaking, or major economic...Read more

  • A suburban town looks at retrofit options

    With transit on the way, Amherst, New York, reimagines its future.
    Amherst, a 122,000-population suburban town adjacent to the City of Buffalo, New York, is going through a transition. Buffalo's mass transit line is planned to be extended into Amherst, presenting an opportunity for mixed-use, transit-oriented nodes. This suburban retrofit opportunity would...Read more