• New urbanists must have a voice in LA fire recovery

    Walkable neighborhoods and buildings that frame the public realm should be part of any fire rebuilding effort in Pacific Palisades and Altadena—experts comment on fire recovery and urbanism.
    A former FEMA director said the recent LA fires are the city’s “Hurricane Katrina. ” That’s probably true, but new urbanists are unlikely to play a similar role that they did in 2005 when they led the Mississippi Renewal Forum to replan the entire Gulf Coast of the state. The situations are far...Read more

  • Single stairs do not put residents at risk

    A new study of multifamily buildings shows that those with a single stairwell are just as safe as those with two sets of stairs. This could be a key to more infill, missing middle housing.
    New urbanists have typically focused on code changes that impact the outside of buildings, their density and use, and the way they address the public realm. But sometimes, inside-the-building codes have a major impact on how buildings are expressed on the outside—and thus, the form of the city...Read more

  • CNU chapter holds single-stair contest

    Who knew the difference a staircase makes? US requirements that multifamily buildings have more than one staircase damages cities. Amidst calls for reform, CNU Mid-Atlantic is offering a prize for the best single-stair building design for Baltimore.
    Twentieth Century building and zoning codes made walkable cities much more difficult to build. In doing so, they cause many people to live in less healthy environments—as per the strong evidence that walkable places contribute to health , social interactions , and other benefits. The latest code...Read more

  • Resilient urban design: The art and science of transforming cities

    Integrating resilience into urban design encourages a shift in thinking: Resilient urban design should not only facilitate mitigation and adaptation but also ensure that the solutions for both have to be likable to all.
    In recent years, the popularity of “urban resilience” and “resilient cities” has surged in both academic research and policy development, especially with respect to urbanization and climate change. However, the origins and meaning of these terms are ambiguous and vague, with numerous explanations...Read more