One Reason American Architecture Is Considered Boring: Stairs

Why does multifamily housing has the same, copied look in most places?

Podcast, Upzoned, Top StoryStrong TownsApril 12, 2023Podcast, podcast, Upzoned, architecture, multi-family, housing, Housing, aesthetics, zoning

Whose Responsibility Is It To Ensure That Buildings Interact With the Public Realm in a Delightful Way?

It’s important to build safe and productive streets, but how do we ensure those streets are a place people want to be and live in?

Podcast, Upzoned, Safe & Productive Streets, Urban Design, Top StoryStrong TownsMarch 1, 2023Podcast, podcast, Upzoned, Safe and Productive Streets, aesthetics, architecture, design, urban design

What Ever Happened to Beauty?

Being human means being connected to place. So why have we stopped seeing our places as extensions of ourselves, of our homes, and of our values?

Architecture, Owens, Urban Design, Top StoryTiffany Owens ReedFebruary 21, 2023architecture, aesthetics, design, urban design, highways

A Year of Building Optimism: 365 Days of Beautiful Modern Buildings

These buildings—all built within the past 20 years in the U.S. and Canada—show that we can still create things of beauty, and that gives us something to look forward to (and to fight for)!

Architecture, Incremental Housing, Top StorySeairra SheppardFebruary 7, 2023aesthetics, architecture, Incremental Housing, member story

A Better Suburban House

A lot of suburban house models distort traditional architectural styles and patterns. Here’s a simple markup showing how they could be improved, without increasing building costs.

Erfurt, Housing, Top StoryEdward ErfurtJanuary 27, 2023housing, architecture, suburbs, developers

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?

Architecture, Herriges, Urban Design, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJanuary 25, 2023architecture, design, density, f, Florida, downtown, zoning, urban design

Home Business: In Rovinj, Croatia, a Peek at What's Possible

A visit to a home restaurant in Rovinj, Croatia, shows the kind of small businesses and good urbanism that we could have in the U.S. if we just relaxed our zoning codes.

Urban Renewal, Top StoryAddison Del MastroJune 14, 2022Europe, travel, small business, restaurants, zoning, urbanism, Urban Renewal, Historic Preservation, historic preservation, Addison Del Mastro, architecture

Learning From Las Vegas: Academic Taxonomy

If we don’t dismiss Las Vegas as just a tacky tourist trap, what can we learn from its architecture?

Architecture, Sanphillippo, Top StoryJohnny SanphillippoMay 16, 2022Nevada, architecture, Granola Shotgun, aesthetics

Vernacular Is Beautiful—If We Would Just Allow It

The work of this small-scale developer shows why cities shouldn’t be so restrictive about building in their own vernacular.

Architecture, Neighborhoods, Small Scale Developers, Top StoryMatthew RobareMarch 21, 2022zoning, South Carolina, small-scale developers, architecture, aesthetics, small scale development, success, success stories, Neighborhoods, neighborhood, developers, Development, development

We Need More “Democratic Architecture”

This architect demonstrates how there are so many places ready and waiting to become a part of the housing solution—if we would just allow them.

Housing, Sanphillippo, Member Post, Top StoryJohnny SanphillippoNovember 9, 2021Housing, housing cost, housing affordability, housing crisis, Housing Crisis, Granola Shotgun, architecture, Homeownership, homeownership

Engineers Should Not Design Streets: A Programmer's Take

Software engineers don’t design user interface, so why do we let civil engineers design streets?

In Defense of Sticking Around

Building to last is the only thing we can afford to do. The social and environmental costs of disposable buildings are far too high.

Architecture, Infrastructure, Member Post, Top StoryWill McCartneySeptember 22, 2021second life cycle, maintenance, Maintenance, Florida, capitalism, fragility, Tax Code, Infrastructure, architecture

The High Price of Cheap Buildings

By building disposable structures, we are leading ourselves toward a socially, economically, and environmentally ruinous future.

Architecture, Infrastructure, Member Post, Top StoryWill McCartneySeptember 21, 2021second life cycle, maintenance, Maintenance, Florida, capitalism, fragility, Tax Code, Infrastructure, architecture

Toward a New Building Culture

We need to go back to the point where we were still building architecture that inspired, lifted the human spirit, and lasted millennia—and build upon those practices.