• A pocket neighborhood designed for connection

    The Ember in Edmond, Oklahoma, is designed so that all neighbors will feel part of the whole via a central gathering space.
    Pocket neighborhoods designed around mid-block cottage courts are a notable trend in New Urbanism. They have several advantages, especially on infill sites. The houses are sited on small lots, taking advantage of a high-quality open space serving all residents. They achieve decent density, due to...Read more

  • Traveling near and far toward low-carbon cities

    Conceiving two tiers of travel suggests possibilities for sustainable mobility and a built landscape designed for it.
    The conventions of New Urbanism show maps of urban areas dotted with quarter-mile circular pedestrian sheds. Recent thinking expands planning units of urbanism to walking or bicycling sheds of 15 minutes. An emerging multimodal transportation revolution is adding more dimensions that stretch ranges...Read more

  • Town extensions with urbanism are a great idea

    Towns and cities used to grow by extending their street grids. Sprawl makes it harder, but many opportunities still exist. Why don’t we have more of this kind of development?
    I recently wrote about Belmont, North Carolina, where landowners and the city are planning a 15-acre extension of downtown. The plan carries the historic street grid through the property and offers a compelling vision for doubling the size of the small main street district. From Poundbury to the...Read more

  • New firm plans to bring walkability to scale

    Speck Dempsey is a partnership between walkability guru Jeff Speck and mobility expert Chris Dempsey.
    To bring walkability to more cities and towns, planner Jeff Speck has launched a new firm with Chris Dempsey, a mobility expert with, Speck says, “a history of public service and activism around planning and transit, and a born leader.” Speck Dempsey will enable more productivity in the short term...Read more