• A pattern language applied to a suburban strip

    A report on a workshop in Charlotte shows how Christopher Alexander’s pattern language can be expanded to improve communities.
    A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander is one of the best-selling architectural books of all time, inspiring many urbanists with ideas related to community design. Yet its land-use influence is limited by the difficulty of translating the ideas into comprehensive plans and zoning codes. Also,...Read more

  • A toolbox for equitable planning

    Adding sensitivity to courage, intelligence, and vitality is a recipe for an equitable land-use plan, according to The Equity Planner.
    Equity planning is inclusion and shared success, explains Jason King of Dover, Kohl & Partners (DKP), author of The Equity Planner: Five Tools to Facilitate Economic Development with Just Outcomes . DKP principal King, DKP urban planner Kessie Estil, and Diana Pena, co-founder of Able City,...Read more

  • Elevate your urbanism at CNU 32

    ‘Foundational courses’ will cover walkability, health, suburban retrofit, street design, Tactical Urbanism, tree canopies, land-use regulations, building types, and more.
    The annual CNU Congress is a multidisciplinary event that attracts top urban designers and planners and related fields. Congress for the New Urbanism “foundational courses” are technically 101-level, but they are typically taught so that even highly experienced practitioners can learn something...Read more

  • Mariemont: A timeless exemplar of town planning

    Mariemont was an experiment in the power of new town design to produce a more humane and civic-centered life across the economic spectrum.
    Note: When CNU 32 convenes in Cincinnati May 15-18, attendees will learn from Mariemont, the town designed by John Nolen, among other notable places in the region. On 23 April 1923, Mary Emery, known as “Lady Bountiful” for her support of the arts and social philanthropy, broke ground for Mariemont...Read more