• Tiny house and Mid-Century Modern trailer for affordable housing

    Back in September I wrote about DPZ CoDESIGN’s innovative new architecture for tiny houses and trailers—affordable housing that can be manufactured and assembled into villages with some of the informal community advantages of “trailer parks,” yet with a twist. The living spaces could be placed on...Read more

  • Freeway teardown restores the grid

    Milwaukee's Park East Corridor, on the national stage this summer, ultimately changed how the city views itself.
    Note: The transformation of Park East in Milwaukee was a 2003 Charter Awards winner. Submissions for the 2020 Charter Awards will be open until February 3, 2020. When it comes to in-city freeways, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. The Park East Freeway planners in Milwaukee during the...Read more

  • Going carless in a driving city

    Even in the vast American drivable urban landscape, families can figure out how to do without a car—walking and biking to meet every personal need. Here’s how it’s done and you can do it, too.
    I came to Tuscaloosa, Alabama on a gig 16 months ago unsure how long I could do it because it’s so much less urban than South Beach, but have been absolutely astonished by what I’ve learned. I’m the part-time interim University Planner at the University of Alabama, and it was never clear how long...Read more

  • Build an urban sequel to A Christmas Story

    Note: Hammond, Indiana, is seeking proposals from developers to build in a downtown that has recently ad­opted a new urban plan, is creating a new rail connection to Chicago, and has committed to a transformation of the downtown main street. When I was sick with a bad cough in December, I watched A...Read more