In the Name of Urbanism

A site in Asheville, NC, is subject to a new development proposal to build multi-family housing—and in today’s housing market, that should be a good thing. But is this development contributing to a larger problem?

Top StoryBilly CooneyAugust 14, 2023Incremental Housing, urbanism, auto-oriented, development pattern, density, urban3

We Can Have Both More Housing and Good Urban Form

It’s not difficult to have good urban design, the kind that respects neighbors and the neighborhoods they live in. It’s actually a lot less work than the processes we use to administer the suburban zoning codes we have today.

Marohn, Top Story, Community StoriesCharles MarohnApril 3, 2023urban design, NIMBY, housing, density, aesthetics, yimby, minnesota, neighborhoods

What's Actually Wrong With This Building?

Heated discussion about a new condo in Sarasota, FL, has got locals calling the building an eyesore. But is this a case of misdirected ire?

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJanuary 25, 2023architecture, design, density, downtown, zoning, urban design, florida

What Causes Traffic Problems? Updating Your Mental Model

Part of why we can't agree on constructive solutions to traffic congestion is that our basic mental model of what causes traffic is wrong. But what if we made a slight update to that model?

An Empty Big-Box Store Is a Lesson In "Commercial Density"

What can be done about retail structures when they’re abandoned by their big-box tenants? One solution: break them down into smaller, much more dynamic spaces.

Top StoryAddison Del MastroJune 8, 2021big box stores, business, retail, density, fine-grained, member week

Postcards from the Edges: With COVID-19, Density Is Not Destiny

Two polar cases suggests that density (or lack thereof) has little to do with the spread of the pandemic.

Top StoryJoe CortrightMay 27, 2020density, native american, rural, canada

What If You're Right?

Suppose the doomsday predictions are right and the COVID-19 crisis empties our cities. That’s not automatically good news for the suburbs.

Top StoryJohnny SanphillippoMay 26, 2020suburban development pattern, rural, density, covid

Not so Fast: Density Isn’t Plague-Inducing

Commentators have speculated that density has been toxic during the coronavirus crisis. But Joe Minicozzi of Urban3 did what he does best—he ran the numbers—and found a different story. This is why data should prevail during a pandemic.

Joe MinicozziApril 20, 2020density, urbanism, public health, urban3, covid

Pandemics Take Advantage of Everything Good in Cities. Here’s How we Protect Them.

The lesson of coronavirus is not that it’s bad to have strong human connections in cities. The lesson is that we need to be able to shut them down quickly when we need to.

Top StoryTristan ClevelandMarch 19, 2020public health, density, covid

David Sim of "Soft City": Making the Places We Live More Human

People might think of city life as necessarily “hard.” But the creative director at a Copenhagen-based urban design firm begs to differ. There are a few simple principles that can “soften” our city, drawing us closer together and radically improving our quality of life.

Question of the Week: Why is Master-Planned Development Less Financially Resilient?

Your Strong Towns Knowledge Base question of the week, answered here.

Top StoryDaniel HerrigesApril 26, 2019density, master planned, fragility, value per acre

Question of the Week: What is the Right Density for a Strong Town?

Your Strong Towns Knowledge Base question of the week, answered here.

Top StoryStrong TownsApril 19, 2019neighborhood change, density, zoning, Infill Development

Surprising Approaches To Achieving Density

We can build compact, walkable cities in an adaptable and economically inclusive manner — no high-rise towers needed.

Andrew PriceJanuary 3, 2018granularity, density

A Fateful Summit

A brilliant application of Strong Towns thinking highlighted at the Strong Towns Summit.

MarohnCharles MarohnApril 3, 2017density, texas

What happens when you densify the suburbs?

This video of Mississauga, ON shows us that density will not save the suburbs.

Top StoryStrong TownsNovember 10, 2016density, suburbs, suburban retrofit, canada

Spiking a Rising Tide

A fetish with density is spiking the rising tide of housing demand in cities like Portland. To make housing affordable, we have to deal with the cause of the spike.

MarohnCharles MarohnOctober 31, 2016affordable housing, density, public transportation, Light Rail, oregon

Best of 2015: The Density Question

Density is not our problem or our solution. Insolvency is our problem. Productive places are the solution.

Top StoryCharles MarohnDecember 17, 2015density, infrastructure cult, infrastructure

Respect the Renter

In spite of the fact that ⅓ of all American are renting their housing, there seems to be a notion in many neighborhoods and towns that owners are the only residents who are going to be valuable members of their communities. Instead, renters should be more fully welcomed into their neighborhoods and respected as the diverse, engaged community members that they can be.

Rachel QuednauJuly 21, 2015density, Neighborhood Design, affordable housing, housing, renters