• The death of New Urbanism is greatly exaggerated

    Restoring the human-scale to the modern built environment is a long-term task, key to human health and welfare, that has barely begun.
    A recent Governing Magazine piece was provocatively titled, "The 'New Urbanism' Movement Might be Dead." Taking that clickbait leads to a piece by respected urban planning essayist William Fulton that is mostly about the success of the New Urbanism. Thirty years ago, the idea of a return to city...Read more

  • Why small will soon be large

    The first national summit is coming on accessory dwelling units, the small housing type that has big potential.
    Cities around the U.S. are grappling with skyrocketing rents and home prices - and increasingly looking to accessory dwelling units (ADUs) for relief. These small homes built in the backyards, attics and basements of single-family houses can offer solutions to cities facing steeply rising rents,...Read more

  • Guiding neighborhood change with place attachment

    Focusing on what connects people to community is one way to navigate the treacherous waters between gentrification and disinvestment.
    Gentrification gets a lot of attention these days, and rightfully so. Particularly as it relates to issues of displacement. No one (or at least no one of heart) wants to see anyone forced from their home and from the community they care for and that, oftentimes, cares for them. The dangled carrot...Read more

  • Why walkability is not a luxury

    Walkable places are vital to health and welfare—and contrary to perceptions, they also reduce household costs.
    Joel Kotkin criticized walkable neighborhoods as elitist in his 2016 book The Human City : Urbanism for the Rest of Us . The title of the book refers to the idea that compact, walkable neighborhoods are not for middle-class Americans who are struggling to raise families, put children through...Read more