• The Thirty Years' War rages on

    In architecture, the constant search for the new no longer represents freedom. Urbanism and sustainability are nobler and more practical imperatives.
    Why has New Urbanism turned out for the design community to be the equivalent of the Syrian War, or perhaps the whole of the Middle East conflict? Quite simply, as Dan Solomon and others have noted , there are seemingly irreconcilable differences the Academy, and little willingness to negotiate or...Read more

  • Dealing with a donkey's view of climate change

    Urbanists can contribute mightily to solving the climate problem—got any plans for the next few decades?
    The Congress for the New Urbanism held a Climate Summit in Alexandria, Virginia, early this month to brainstorm on solutions to climate change. The recent catastrophic hurricanes in Puerto Rico, Texas, and Florida—some link the heightened storm activity to climate change—makes the topic especially...Read more

  • What's right for the site: Analyzing the missing middle

    The options for missing middle housing on a small redevelopment site are many, so here's a process to decide what choices make sense. Part 1.
    Over the past several years, many clients have come to us wanting to explore Missing Middle Housing on two- to five-acre sites, which seem to be a “sweet spot” for Missing Middle application, especially for smaller developer/builders and for developers of sites within larger master plans. This...Read more
  • Seaside FL Town Center

    Time is urbanism

    Authentic urbanism, unlike large-scale architecture, is built out over time. Architectural critics make the mistake of assessing an urban project in its early years.
    Editor's note: This piece responds to Daniel Solomon’s essay , The Thirty Years’ War: New Urbanism and the Academy , published September 27, which critiques the concept of fabric and monument buildings that helps to organize the design of new urban neighborhoods like Seaside, Florida. The essay is...Read more