• An ode to Alexandria

    George Washington helped to build a nation later in life. As a teenager, he planned a city that is still a model of livability.
    As the nation celebrates its 250 th birthday this weekend, George Washington’s often-overlooked achievement is noteworthy. As a 17-year-old in 1749, Washington planned what is now the City of Alexandria, Virginia. He surveyed and platted what are, to this day, more than 275 years later, the streets...Read more

  • Three courts, three conditions, one neighborhood

    Three cottage court designs demonstrate the versatility of this housing type, even within the same neighborhood development and under the same design team. Now becoming legalized more widely, the cottage court offer a housing toolkit of exceptional power.
    Selah is a traditional neighborhood development outside Norman, Oklahoma. Sommer Design Studios was part of the original masterplan team from the beginning — working alongside Brown Design Studio as lead, Moser Kelly Design Group on landscape, and Thompson Placemaking on the urban design framework...Read more

  • Legalizing single-stair, a path to affordable housing

    A report from Massachusetts quantifies the significant potential of legalizing four- to six-story single-stair buildings.
    Loosening the rules against single-stair buildings could significantly increase the supply of much-needed housing in Massachusetts. Utile Design, in collaboration with Boston Indicators—the research arm for the Boston Foundation—and Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies, published “Legalizing...Read more

  • A village starts with a street plan

    A town near me is looking to build a mixed-use waterfront village—a street plan could be the key to achieving that goal.
    A recent Substack piece, “ How to Build a Village ,” caught my attention because it features a site near where I live. The “village style” plan in Clay, Onondaga County, New York, was highlighted by planner, ex-mayor, and writer Bill Fulton ( The Future of Where , which I highly recommend). Clay is...Read more