The Way We Design Our Streets Invites Driver Aggression

This motorcyclist was acting aggressive…but what in his environment signaled to him that aggressive driving was acceptable?

#SlowtheCars, Marohn, Roads and Streets, Transportation, Top StoryCharles MarohnApril 18, 2022#SlowTheCars, transportation, Safety, car crash, cars, STROADS, roads, Brainerd MN, design

Copy What You Know Works

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel to create places that aren’t bad—and that should be the first and foremost goal for a city.

#PlaceIDontWanttoSit, Herriges, Urban Design, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesMarch 10, 2022placemaking, public space, urban design, design, greenspace, public engagement

Cities, Stop Bending the Rules for Drive-Thru Businesses

Cities should not be afraid to impose design standards that meet the community’s needs and that don’t jeopardize long-term planning for the public realm.

Herriges, Urban Design, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesFebruary 23, 2022cars, car culture, urban design, #PedestrianUnfriendly, business, urbanism, design

Renderings vs. Reality: A Roundup of 2021s Most Egregious Development Illustrations

If a picture can say a thousand words, it can probably also tell at least 100 lies—as demonstrated by these development projects that did not turn out as promised.

Fisher, Transportation, Urban Design, Walkability, Top StoryLauren FisherJanuary 10, 2022urban design, #PedestrianUnfriendly, pedestrian crossing, Diverging Diamond, intersections, pedestrians, Pedestrian Safety, pedestrian safety, design, walkability

It Ain't Easy Being Seen

Pedestrians don’t bear primary responsibility for road safety—but to an extent, neither do drivers. These photos illustrate why.

Roads and Streets, Walkability, Top StoryAddison Del MastroNovember 23, 2021Pedestrian Safety, pedestrians, Street Design, Safety, #SlowTheCars, design, walkability

The Urban Experiment

We all know about the Suburban Experiment here at Strong Towns—but are we now also starting to see the rise of a new paradigm?

Member Post, Suburban Experiment, Urban Design, Top StoryKevin KlinkenbergNovember 22, 2021Kevin Klinkenberg, suburban experiment, suburban development pattern, development pattern, urban design, fragility, design, urban planning

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?

Cities Are for Older People, Too

Aging in American culture comes with the association of loneliness, dependence, and isolation. If cites were designed differently, this wouldn’t have to be the case.

Public Space, Urban Design, Top Story, OwensTiffany Owens ReedSeptember 13, 2021aging, design, urban design, cities

Cognitive Comfort and Visual Clutter: Is it Time we Started Regulating Style?

We must start adapting our architectural designs to the instincts of our species, rather than the other way around.

Architecture, Member Post, Urban Design, Top StoryDustin ShaneJune 4, 2021Ann Sussman, Justin Hollander, architecture, cognitive architecture, aesthetics, design, modernism

The Myth of the Template Store

Chain stores often claim they can’t break from their standard design templates when moving into your city. Don’t believe it.

Planning Profession, Top StoryAndrew PriceSeptember 1, 2020design, urban planning

Are Beautiful Cars Responsible for Our Overbuilt Roads?

How much of car culture is attributable to the early designers and marketers who figured out how to make cars stylish and beautiful? A new book profiles GM’s Harley Earl, one of the forerunners of America’s automotive obsession.

WIlson, Top StoryKea WilsonOctober 11, 2018car culture, history, design

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