Austin Maitland

Austin Maitland has been a contributor to Strong Towns since 2017. A native of Rochester, New York, Austin graduated from Rutgers University with a Master of City and Regional Planning degree in 2018. He now works as an urban planner in New Jersey. He is particularly interested in observing how land-use regulations and the built environment impact the social and economic performance of urban neighborhoods. Austin enjoys traveling around the northeast experiencing cities and towns of all shapes and sizes.

Stories by Austin
Housing Markets Should Be More Like Supermarkets
Austin Maitland
Housing Markets Should Be More Like Supermarkets
Austin Maitland

In many areas of modern life, the market provides a cornucopia of choices to accommodate people’s diverse needs, wants, and tastes: just visit a supermarket to see this. When it comes to housing options, though, the reality is starkly different.

Austin Maitland
When Extra Parking Might Be a Good Thing
Austin Maitland
When Extra Parking Might Be a Good Thing
Austin Maitland

Typically, the thought of converting an old subway tunnel into parking would send shivers down the spines of urbanists. But this project may be a surprisingly beneficial way to catalyze redevelopment in Rochester, New York’s recovering downtown.

Austin Maitland
How Zoning Is Holding Your Neighborhood Back
Austin Maitland & Nolan Gray
How Zoning Is Holding Your Neighborhood Back
Austin Maitland & Nolan Gray

Why is your city dotted with vacant lots? Probably because it’s functionally illegal to build on them.

Austin Maitland & Nolan Gray
What does "mixed-income" mean for our towns?
Austin Maitland
What does "mixed-income" mean for our towns?
Austin Maitland

Government housing subsidies can't provide a permanent lasting solution to affordable housing challenges, but naturally occuring mixed income neighborhoods could.

Austin Maitland
NIMBYs are Right, Development is Terrible
Austin Maitland
NIMBYs are Right, Development is Terrible
Austin Maitland

Planners and developers have a lot to learn from their most vocal adversaries.

Austin Maitland
3 Lessons for Building a Great Community — from a Very Small Town
Austin Maitland
3 Lessons for Building a Great Community — from a Very Small Town
Austin Maitland

We can find practical examples of great communities far away from San Francisco or Copenhagen.

Austin Maitland
Countering Common Parking Narratives
Austin Maitland
Countering Common Parking Narratives
Austin Maitland

It's time to push back against the typical media narratives about parking in our towns.

Austin Maitland
The public hates planners but it doesn't have to be that way.
Austin Maitland
The public hates planners but it doesn't have to be that way.
Austin Maitland

Flexible regulations and a dose of humility could change this unproductive dynamic.

Austin Maitland
Turning “Renewal” into Renaissance: The Transformation of Downtown Rochester
Austin Maitland
Turning “Renewal” into Renaissance: The Transformation of Downtown Rochester
Austin Maitland

After years of neglect, downtown Rochester has found an unexpected ally: residents.

Austin Maitland
The Illusion of Revitalization
Austin Maitland
The Illusion of Revitalization
Austin Maitland

From the towering Xerox Square, to the grand Civic Center, to the glistening Riverside Convention Center, virtually every corner of downtown Rochester has been “revitalized”, so why does it still feel so dead?

Austin Maitland
3 Great Rochester Neighborhoods and Why they Work
Austin Maitland
3 Great Rochester Neighborhoods and Why they Work
Austin Maitland

These Rochester neighborhoods offer simple lessons that every town can employ to improve its economic success and wellbeing.

Austin Maitland
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