• Twenty years of retrofit with a form-based code

    The regulations to transform the Columbia Pike suburban strip in Arlington were a milestone for form-based codes. A gathering of urbanists reviewed ongoing progress with 3,400 housing units, mixed-use, and public space built in the last 20 years.
    On September 28 th , the CNU DC | Mid-Atlantic Chapter of urbanists held a 20-year review and walking tour of the form-based code (FBC) for a former 3.5-mile strip-commercial portion of Columbia Pike in Arlington County, Virginia. The Pike aligns with the Pentagon, which employs 26,000 military...Read more

  • 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