• How urban designers came full circle

    A profession that began by designing complete, traditional neighborhoods in the 19th Century, then soundly rejected that philosophy, has now returned to the walkable neighborhood model in this century.
    I have been reading a fascinating document—an AIA continuing education course that includes the most lucid history of urban design that I have read. The history is Unit 1 of a four-part course, Urban Design For Architects: Space, Place, And Urban Infrastructure , written by David Walters ,...Read more

  • Tulsa Global District’s a new kind of Main Street

    The strategic plan for a commercial district with an international identity offers a new approach to suburban retrofit based on a string of parking lot transformations.
    As part of CNU 30 in Oklahoma City in 2022, YARD & Co. and CNU sponsored a Legacy Project in the Tulsa Global District, a large suburban commercial district at the intersection of two major thoroughfares occupied by about 200 businesses, mostly owned by Hispanic, Vietnamese, and Chinese...Read more

  • Learning from Savannah

    A few days of walking and observing reveal the benefits that endure over three centuries of great urban design.
    Last week CNU staff gathered in Savannah, Georgia, one of the greatest small cities in America. Among other things, this was an opportunity to learn about urbanism by walking and observing. In just three days, we saw much of the city and also nearby Beaufort, South Carolina, and Habersham—a new...Read more

  • Fighting loneliness with parks and third places

    We have a unique opportunity to rethink what it means to create shared spaces. By reimagining downtowns, expanding parks, and supporting hybrid third places, we can design environments that heal, connect, and inspire.
    I was struck by a recent essay in Time about the growing epidemic of loneliness in America. It drew a clear correlation between isolation and the decline of real-life social connections, particularly in third places—those informal gathering spaces like coffee shops, libraries, and parks. As someone...Read more