Charming urbanism inside the block

In the City of Edmond, Oklahoma, important work is being done to create urbanism within blocks—this is called “inner-block urbanism.” In a city with gaps in the urban fabric and somewhat inhospitable streets—very common in the US—this idea enables the development of small-scale projects comprising 10, 20, or 30 living spaces within a single block. It is a New Urbanism technique at the block scale.

Alleys play an important role, and cottage courts or other courtyard housing is often involved. A variety of housing types is typically offered, and sometimes outward-facing mixed-use. The perimeter of the block is improved rather than neglected to connect the development to the surrounding neighborhood. That way, the city’s overall urbanism improves as more housing is created near downtown. 

Inner-block urbanism is a way to create high-quality urban frontages in cities that have many automobile-oriented streetscapes. The streets and public spaces in these small, inner-block parcels are intimate, almost European in character. That’s because the streets within blocks are essentially alleys and lanes. As this frontage sells and more people live downtown, the surrounding streets can gradually become more pedestrian-oriented.

In Edmond, which is a city of about 100,000 people north of Oklahoma City (where CNU 30 was held in 2022), “inner-block urbanism” is being designed and built by a small group of urbanists. Today, I report on two projects. Hurd Courts proposes “28 townhouses and garage apartments and also six live-work townhouses with ground-floor storefronts,” according to Edmond Urbanist on LinkedIn. The land is currently occupied by three houses near Downtown Edmond, as shown in the aerial photo. 

On September 14, Edmond Council voted 5-0 to approve $1 million in public financing for public improvements, including stormwater and sewer infrastructure, utilities, and paving, under a tax-increment financing (TIF) agreement with developer Hurd Courts, LLC. The renderings show a courtyard with attractive brick buildings. The project also uses an alley in the block. 

The next project is called Townsend, which I reported on earlier this year. At the time, it was only renderings, but now, thanks to a post by Samuel Waters, we see these amazing construction photos. This Edmond project consists of two live-work units, 18 townhouses, and 13,000 square feet of commercial space on about an acre. Townsend is being built with structural brick walls, which will contribute immeasurably to the place's character.

Here are some renderings of the project, by the illustrator JJ Zanetta: 

Austin Tunnell, who is leading the project, said on LinkedIn, “We call this ‘inner-block development.’ We aren’t just lining buildings along a street—we’re shaping a sequence of inner-block spaces. When you’re standing inside the project, you're in your own little world. This is where the magic happens.”

Here's some reporting that we did on other projects in Edmond (link, and link).

Edmond is unusual in its quantity and quality of this type of New Urbanism. But the potential for this kind of development in cities across the US appears to be almost unlimited. Here are more reports on inner-block urbanism (link, and link).

Inner-block urbanism can be built alongside other infill and incremental development techniques. It creates new, high-quality frontage in walkable, or potentially walkable neighborhoods, that will contribute to other redevelopment and revitalization projects. It can work in historic cities of all sizes and in suburbs and small towns.