• Cute infill houses are affordable without subsidy

    The Painted Babies show how well-designed micro-homes can make a statement at the right price.
    For a great example of Missing Middle housing in Fayetteville, Arkansas, here are four infill houses designed by Flintlock LAB. These units have been dubbed the “Painted Babies,” a takeoff on San Francisco’s famous “Painted Ladies,” the copiously photographed Victorian homes on a hill overlooking a...Read more

  • Duany’s 25 top American cities, and why the grid is key

    Most of these cities are built on a grid, an important point, according to the CNU founder and internationally known planner.
    Andres Duany has a personal list of the 25 best American cities (or city sectors). It’s a great list if you like urbanism and you want to explore places in the US that are really worth visiting. It includes cities of all sizes, from coast to coast. You can be sure that all are excellent places to...Read more

  • The case for the return of the 3-5 story city

    Medium-height, medium-scale buildings, slightly larger than typical Missing Middle housing, are the backbone of great neighborhoods. We need to emphasize this scale more.
    Urban conversations in North America often seem trapped between competing visions. Contemporary discourse often swings between detached suburban development, low-scale missing middle housing, and high-rise intensification. An alternative lies in a form of urbanism that has shaped some of the world...Read more

  • Walkable urbanism on the Texas coast

    The towns along 30A in Walton County, Florida, have inspired many New Urbanist emulators, including Cinnamon Shore in Port Aransas, Texas. Cinnamon Shore is a series of walkable urban developments along State Highway 361 on Mustang Island and is not well known outside of the Lone Star State. “Since...Read more