• Study shows widespread new urbanist zoning reform

    With the aid of artificial intelligence, researchers examined the extent to which form-based coding is adopted incrementally, often without using the term. The widespread approval of these regulations is good news for proponents of walkable neighborhoods.
    At the beginning of this century, just a handful of form-based codes (FBC) had been adopted nationwide. Conventional zoning, separating uses and housing types, was standard in US cities and towns. A new analysis of more than 2,000 zoning codes across the US using artificial intelligence (AI)...Read more

  • How community design impacts social life

    The social aspect of community development is important. It’s been said before, but we are, at heart, social creatures. When technology drives us apart, as it has in many ways over the last 100 years, we suffer. Social scientists have consistently measured happiness in America since the 1970s, and...Read more

  • Why walkable places are good for children

    Despite arguments that sprawl is pro-family, children benefit from mixed-use, urban neighborhoods.
    Are walkable places bad for children and families? Joel Kotkin wrote a book based on this thesis , and the argument recently was made on The Federalist website. Professor Michael Lewyn then debunked this theory in a Planetizen post. Planners and urbanists will likely encounter the issue in land-use...Read more

  • Restoring value: how adaptive reuse benefits communities

    How we can breathe new life into old spaces—and why it matters.
    As business and consumer needs evolve, adaptive reuse—the repurposing of existing buildings for new functions—has become a leading architectural solution for flexibility and sustainability, offering many benefits to our communities including: Cultural preservation Waste reduction Urban...Read more