Alexander Dukes

Alexander Dukes (Twitter | LinkedIn) has been a regular contributor for Strong Towns since 2016, and works as a Community Planner for the US Air Force in California. He is a graduate of Tuskegee University and Auburn University, with a Bachelor’s in Political Science and Master’s degrees in Community Planning and Public Administration. With this background, Alexander focuses his planning work on public policy and urban design for both military and civilian applications. Alexander's goal is to build sustainable human environments that provide all citizens with access to cohesive communities, affordable housing, meaningful employment, and beautiful places.

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Recent articles by Alexander:
It's Time to Bring Decision-Making Down to the Local Level (Part 2)
It's Time to Bring Decision-Making Down to the Local Level (Part 2)

Local decision-making must become more accessible to everyday people. Here's how to make that happen in your place.

Life After Parking
Life After Parking

America is addicted to cars. But what if we weren’t? How could cities utilize the many acres of suddenly empty parking lots? City planner Alexander Dukes looks ahead to life after parking.

Doing the Math on Housing the Homeless
Doing the Math on Housing the Homeless

What would it actually cost to put a roof over the head of every person experiencing chronic homelessness? Some number crunching suggests not as much as you think, and an amount we could afford—especially given what it already costs not to.

The Democratized Economy: From Mass Production to Holistic Production
The Democratized Economy: From Mass Production to Holistic Production

We are in the midst of an ongoing transformation of the traditional top-down, mass producer-to-consumer relationship into a relationship that is more harmonious and intimate between smaller-scale producers and smaller sets of consumers.

A Quiet, Country Life in the Middle of the City?
A Quiet, Country Life in the Middle of the City?

Savannah, GA fulfills the desire for rural home space in a financially sound urban environment.

The Potential of Autonomous Electric Buses
The Potential of Autonomous Electric Buses

Automated vehicles are coming whether we like it or not. In the realm of public transit, they could save us money and offer greater service options.

The Week Ahead: A Town Well Planned
The Week Ahead: A Town Well Planned

This week's guest is Alexander Dukes, a Strong Towns member and contributor who just finished an extended series on community planning.

A Town Well Planned: Universal Form Codes
A Town Well Planned: Universal Form Codes

A basic universal code can help us create productive, economically successful developments while allowing for maximum flexibility for developers, business owners and residents.

A Town Well Planned: Zoning with Context
A Town Well Planned: Zoning with Context

A traditional pattern of development requires zoning that is fine-grained, geographically contextual and responsive to observable feedback.

A Town Well Planned: Hierarchical Zoning
A Town Well Planned: Hierarchical Zoning

A hierarchical zoning model would allow greater development flexibility and remove needless rules from our zoning codes. Here's how to do it.

A Town Well Planned: Street Design
A Town Well Planned: Street Design

This neighborhood has three different types of streets to meet different needs—but all of them provide ample room for the best indicator species of success: people.

A Town Well Planned: Parcels and Master Street Plans
A Town Well Planned: Parcels and Master Street Plans

When affordability meets flexibility, the result tends to be the democratization of a local real estate market.

A Town Well Planned: Determining Public Will
A Town Well Planned: Determining Public Will

If planners learn to determine what the public will is and apply themselves in service to that public will, our municipalities can be that much closer to towns well planned.

A Town Well Planned
A Town Well Planned

If zoning codes are the primary tool in a planner's toolbox, that's a problem. Here's a three part system that would offer a better way for planners to design cities.

The Democratized Economy III: From Growing Local to Growing Local Entrepreneurs
The Democratized Economy III: From Growing Local to Growing Local Entrepreneurs

How community gardens can be a catalyst for entrepreneurship and economic development.

Reset the Car Conversation with Autonomous Cars
Reset the Car Conversation with Autonomous Cars

Autonomous vehicles have the potential to revolutionize America’s transportation system, not just through their safety and convenience, but also because of their lower cost. 

The Democratized Economy: How to Build a Successful Urban Center
The Democratized Economy: How to Build a Successful Urban Center

Here are the three core characteristics you need for a successful urban center, plus how to creatively make them happen on a shoestring budget.

The Democratized Economy: Big Boxes, Urban Centers and Placemaking
The Democratized Economy: Big Boxes, Urban Centers and Placemaking

American communities need to shift away from a big box retail strategy to a local, placemaking retail strategy. When placemaking urban centers become the default model, local retailers flourish and a broad, diverse Democratized Economy emerges.

The Emerging Democratized Economy
The Emerging Democratized Economy

The key to building a sustainable local economy is to nurture a diverse set of employers that operate in multiple industries. With the emergence of the Democratized Economy, localized production for regional markets is returning to the fore. 

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