• They paved paradise, put up a parking lot

    The asphalt-industrial complex—otherwise known as Big Asphalt—took control of our cities and towns. Here's how we can take it back.
    In America we have 2.5 million miles of paved roads, and an estimated 800 million parking spaces . Dwight Eisenhower famously warned America about the "military-industrial complex." I think he should have warned the country about the "asphalt-industrial complex," which has done more damage to where...Read more

  • Better ‘honky tonk’ urbanism

    Nashville uses Tactical Urbanism to test out ideas on public space and street improvements downtown.
    Lower Broadway in Nashville is a major arterial in the heart of the famous “honky tonk” district, with restaurants and bars offering live music. Many modes of traffic, including cars, delivery trucks, buses, taxis, Ubers, and Lyfts, mix and compete with pedestrians, who have inadequate sidewalk...Read more

  • Context-based redesign solves street problems

    A pedestrian fatality spurred a transformation of a thoroughfare in Raleigh, linking a college campus to neighborhoods.
    Note: This case study was written for the Institute for Transportation Engineers new book Implementing Context Sensitive Design on Multimodal Corridors , funded by the Federal Highway Administration. A wide suburban arterial road separating the campus of North Carolina State University from city...Read more

  • Responding to character of context

    New deco mixed-use building in Pasadena broke a community log jam with distinctive and lovable design that responds to its surroundings.
    In Pasadena, California, the Playhouse Plaza has replaced a single-story furniture store with “an architectural triumph that has added to Pasadena’s legacy of well-designed, beautiful buildings,” says Susan Mossman, Executive Director of Pasadena Heritage. Located in the city’s revitalizing 32-...Read more