“Who is the first, or next, person, business, or entity that is going to come in and make something of this place? What does that wave of succession look like? And are we allowing that action to occur?”

Building affordable housing seems like a win for cities struggling in the Housing Trap. So then why does it sometimes make things worse?

Car-oriented suburban design often leaves people navigating empty, isolating spaces that feel unsafe—even in the middle of the day.

It's not just about what its being built, but who is doing the building.

What does it take to do small-scale development successfully today?

How one Detroit resident used Google Maps to chronicle the accelerating disappearance of its neighborhoods.

Ponzi schemes fail because they are built on illusions: there is no there there. So what happens when an entire continent of towns and cities is caught up in a kind of Growth Ponzi Scheme? We are finding out.

Contrary to what has been asserted elsewhere, the suburbs are not about to have a renaissance. In fact, there are many reasons to believe we are nearing the end.

Connected streets + varied houses = better trick-or-treating and financially stronger neighborhoods.

For most of history, "tiny houses" were simply houses—a low-cost way for people to put down roots and begin to grow some wealth for themselves and the neighborhood.

We all know the pitfalls of master-planned communities, right? Sterile. Homogenous. Certainly not adaptable or resilient over time. Is there a way around it? Maybe, if this fascinating case study from Germany has anything to teach us. And it all starts with one word: Baugruppen.

If you’ve asked this lately, or heard someone else ask it, here are five possible reasons why.

What a children's book can teach us about land value.

Step-by-step growth built our greatest cities. So why do we keep reaching for silver bullets instead?