• Millennial 'downshifters'

    The movement of millennials toward major city centers has been well reported—but many are locating in smaller, second- and third-tier cities, as noted by Gizmodo . The reason is economics. As the graph shows, some major cities have an affordability gap relative to the earnings of the "typical...Read more
  • This area protected

    Form-based codes are for cities and they provide little benefit for rural and open areas? Wrong. One of the advantages of form-coding is that it brings uses and activities together—as opposed to separating them—and the result is compact development that saves land and energy. This helps to preserve...Read more
  • There once was a tree on Nantucket

    There once was a tree on Nantucket With none of its roots in a bucket. "That can’t be," Said the state DOT, But no driver has ever yet struck it. Note: Architect John Massengale recently took photos on Nantucket, Massachusetts, of trees growing into streets and sidewalks. These random trees are...Read more
  • Comparing the neighborhood and sprawl

    An iconic new urban diagram from the 1990s shows a walkable neighborhood, top, compared to conventional suburban development, below. The uses are the same but the organization of the uses are different. This drawing by Thomas Low for DPZ was widely used by new urbanists to explain why development...Read more