• Sacramento adopts progressive Missing Middle code

    The citywide legislation tailors missing middle options to different neighborhoods, and a sliding scale floor-area ratio (FAR) supports more attainable building types.
    Sacramento’s new citywide Missing Middle Housing (MMH) ordinance is one of the most progressive and comprehensive in the US. Based on a study by Opticos Design, the interim ordinance applies to the city of 528,000 but adjusts the requirements and allowances according to what will work in individual...Read more

  • Five reasons why urban practitioners should care about resilience

    Urban practitioners are uniquely positioned to shape not only our cities and communities but also the future of the environment in which we live.
    Last week as this post was scheduled to go out, I stood overlooking my quaint small town where 12-plus feet of water was rushing through our Main Street. The usually slow-flowing, fun river had swelled over its banks due to increased flow from Hurricane Helene. Searching for gas, groceries, and...Read more

  • A requiem for the River Arts District

    The flagship for authentic incrementalism in Asheville, North Carolina, is gone, flooded by Helene.
    If you identified as an artist and sought to surround yourself with like kind, there was only one place in North Carolina to go: The River Arts District . I was in the mountains on September 27th, 2024, immediately after Hurricane Helene hit. Few areas were hit harder than River Arts. Much of the...Read more

  • Model for suburban retrofit in the Inland Empire

    Rancho Cucamonga is implementing urbanism on arterial roads and suburban commercial areas. This plan is intended to lead the way to density and mixed-use in a suburban city in Southern California.
    Some experts predict the major development trend in the next 20 years will be “urbanizing the suburbs,” bringing density and mixed-use to underutilized commercial areas. If so, the Inland Empire of Southern California, with 4.6 million people, could be a test case. Rancho Cucamonga, an important...Read more