• The third place coffeehouse faces a serious challenge

    The rapid rise of kiosk coffee sellers poses a threat to the business model behind the ultimate American third place—the cafe. Communities and nonprofits may have to take a larger role.
    I’m worried about our third places. To those unfamiliar, third places are those venues, other than home and work, where people head for conversation, connection and belonging. Every culture (and subculture) has its own version. Well-known (albeit fictional) ones in ours include Fell's Point Diner...Read more

  • Reflecting back, looking forward

    The top articles for 2022 have a lot to say about the world of city building and where we are headed for the new year.
    It’s the time of year to reflect back and look forward on the world of city building and urban design. Public Square is my window to the immediate past and future—specifically the meaning of the most popular articles (I’m picking 5, a literal handful of stories, a number that I believe is related...Read more

  • Portland mandates a parking U-turn

    The city's parking policy has taken many turns, and now small buildings and those with affordable housing are not required to build parking at all.
    It took almost a decade for a new apartment building with no parking to arrive in Portland after the city waived requirements near transit in 2002. The political backlash came more swiftly. As Portland’s rental market tightened, the city found itself with the second-lowest vacancy rate in the...Read more

  • Turning an office park into a town center

    The rethinking of a conventional office park, Carmel Gateway is the latest big idea to be proposed in Carmel, Indiana, the city of roundabouts.
    Under the leadership of Mayor Jim Brainard, Carmel, Indiana, has been a town planning innovator for a quarter century. With almost 150 roundabouts (making it one of the safest suburban communities in the US), and the striking new Monon Boulevard planned by Speck & Associates and Gehl with...Read more