Neighborhoods Were Never Meant to Be Unchanging

The idea of a permanent community “character” was an invention of the suburban era, and it's showing its cracks now—because it was never an attainable or desirable goal.

American Suburbs Are a Horror Movie and We’re the Protagonists

Walking alone to the grocery store is, for me, like walking through a creepy hallway at night. Why? Because America is filled with liminal spaces.

A Drive Through “the Ugliest Place in Maryland”: Part 2

Our drive continues through the area once called “the ugliest place in Maryland.” When you look around, though, you can find the building blocks for an urban transformation in these suburbs.

A Drive Through “the Ugliest Place in Maryland”: Part 1

Let’s take a drive down Rockville Pike, a major thoroughfare near DC. What kinds of development patterns will we find as we pass through each ring of suburbia?

Movie Set Urbanism: Revisited

What do we find when we look behind the "New Urbanist" façade of this master-planned development?

Shade in the City

Why do some cities make it so hard to find shade…or create your own?

Should Mayors Be Visionaries?

A provocative new article suggests visionary mayors get in the way of bottom-up innovation.

Upzoned, Podcast, Neighborhood DesignStrong TownsMarch 13, 2020Podcast, local government, innovation

Is "Gentle Density" Enough?

Don’t underestimate the power of small-scale development—if undertaken at a large scale, by many hands—to transform our cities for the better.

Housing, Herriges, Neighborhood Design, Zoning, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesDecember 11, 2019housing, incremental development, missing middle, data

Recipe for a Remarkable Neighborhood

There are eight qualities of a remarkable “everyday neighborhood.” How many does your neighborhood have?

Neighborhood Design, Top StoryPreston PouteauxNovember 8, 2019Emily Talen, Canada, Alberta, Neighborhood Design, Neighborhoods

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.

This Neighborhood in Germany Shows Us Why American Planned Communities are So Abysmal

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.

Urban Design, Neighborhood Design, Top StoryTaylor DotsonSeptember 18, 2019Europe, Germany, master planned, cooperatives, environment, urban design

7 Rules for Creating "15-Minute Neighborhoods"

We hear it everywhere we go: people want, and cherish, the kind of complete neighborhood where you can meet most of your daily needs within a 15-minute walk. What will it take to create more such places in North American cities and towns?

"Start Small, and Make a Lot of Noise": How to Improve a Neighborhood from the Bottom Up

There are huge swaths of 1950s and 1960s suburbia that need a bit of TLC—and expensive, top-down “sprawl repair” isn’t going to be up to the task. What’s required is a more patient, grassroots approach. Urban planner John Yung has some ideas.

The "Lake Effect" Shows the Importance of Public Places

When property near water holds a higher value than landlocked properties, we call it the “lake effect.” How can this be used to build a stronger, healthier community?

Sulaski, Neighborhood Design, #DotheMath, Urban3, Top StoryRobert SulaskiJune 11, 2019Minnesota, Minneapolis, land tax, Urban3, parks

Want Ideas to Make Your Town Financially Stronger? Take Your Dog for a Long Walk.

Here are four ways that walking your dog—or a loaner pup from your local rescue group—can give you a unique insight into how your place can get a little more resilient.

WIlson, Walkability, Neighborhood Design, Top StoryKea WilsonMay 16, 2019street trees, pets, small bets

Envisioning a Barrier-Free City

There is incredible potential for a rebirth and renaissance in older urban neighborhoods. One great way to accelerate that renaissance: adding value through barrier-free design for people with disabilities. A new competition in Cleveland aims to showcase innovative approaches.

Neighborhood Design, Top StorySteve WrightMay 9, 2019revitalization, Cleveland, Disability

How Something as Small as Street Lights Can Reduce Crime

A new study provides the first experimental evidence that better street lighting has a cause-and-effect relationship with reduced crime. Lighting is an example of the kind of low-cost, high-returning public investment that’s all around us… but that our cities too often ignore.

Herriges, Neighborhood Design, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesMay 9, 2019crime, public safety

One-Day Resolutions for Strong Citizens

In the new year, why not consider a few activities that you can complete in a single day that will help you see your town differently? Let’s call it the #StrongTownsChallenge. And don’t worry: there’s no ice water involved.

#StrongCitizens, Kobos, Neighborhood Design, Top StorySarah KobosJanuary 10, 2019cycling, Tactical Urbanism, walkability

The Catch-22 of Retrofitting the Suburbs

Two large development projects currently working their way through the public engagement and approvals process illustrate why suburban retrofit is a really tough proposition to stake our future on.

The Activation Energy of a Walkable Place

Is it magical thinking to expect the transition from car-dependent to walkable places to happen organically? When, and how, do we need a catalyst to jump-start that process?

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