• What makes a good urban park

    City parks have been endangered by suburban flight, privatization and design overkill. Here’s a short list of basics for planning true public spaces.
    This article first appeared in Land and People, the magazine for the Trust for Public Land, in 1995. It also appeared in Better Cities & Towns in 2011. Everyone has a favorite park, or should. Mine is Washington Square, in the heart of San Francisco, bordering Chinatown and the laid back book...Read more

  • Great storefronts mean vital places

    For storefronts that keep pedestrians entertained, here are the rules of thumb.
    It may come as a surprise, but few things in walkable places are stronger predictors of the vitality of a town or neighborhood center than the quality of its storefronts. Centers in the US normally gather around a Main Street or square. European centers often gather around a plaza, place, piazza,...Read more

  • Great idea: Pedestrian shed and the 5-minute walk

    Pedestrian sheds are a foundational idea of designing cohesive communities, but the challenge is the gap between what planners know and developers are building.
    In celebration of the upcoming CNU 25.Seattle , Public Square is running the series 25 Great Ideas of the New Urbanism. These ideas have been shaped by new urbanists and continue to influence cities, towns, and suburbs. The series is meant to inspire and challenge those working toward complete...Read more

  • Nolli map as a tool for small developers

    The Nolli Map is the most underutilized tool in the designer/developer tool box. It provides an intimate understanding of place.
    Small scale incremental developers are concerned with enhancing the character and economic vitality of neighborhoods through flexible, human-scaled, mixed-use buildings. In other words, a small developer’s focus is in building places the way they have been built for centuries; piece by piece...Read more