• An agile approach to multifamily in the pandemic

    A unique missing middle housing development in Papillion, Nebraska, shows how smaller increments of multifamily are beneficial in economically uncertain times.
    I recently picked up the phone to talk to Gerald S. Reimer, from Urban Waters based in Omaha, Nebraska, about the status of the ongoing construction of the 35-acre Missing Middle Neighborhood we planned for him . Jerry is finishing the last of three sub phases of the multifamily Bungalows On The...Read more

  • Court of Honor, Chicago world's fair

    I recently read The Devil in the White City , about the Chicago 1893 World’s Fair. One place that I would like to go back in time to see, just for a day, would be this event. They say that some visitors would break down weeping upon entering the Court of Honor, above, because they had never seen...Read more

  • ‘Maker’ districts could spur revitalization

    Cities are encouraging small manufacturing to promote inclusive economic development and livable wages in downtowns and main streets.
    Fredericksburg, Virginia, is proposing a creative “maker” district on 78 acres of the city’s downtown. North of the city’s central business district, the area currently has a mix of residential, commercial, warehouse and other uses. Encouraging small-scale manufacturing in downtowns, main streets,...Read more

  • The corridor model for more affordable housing

    A case study by Peter Calthorpe shows the potential of underutilized suburban strips to help solve America's housing problems.
    El Camino Real may be the greatest suburban commercial corridor in America, stretching 43 miles from Daly City to San Jose—in Silicon Valley, California. It also shows the promise of suburban arterial roads in solving America’s housing problems. Like many suburban arterials, El Camino Real...Read more