Making the Most of Your Transportation Options—And Getting Your Neighbors Onboard

White Flint, MD, presents a great case study for how a community can begin shifting the conversation on its transportation infrastructure and development pattern.

Engagement, Edward Erfurt, Safe & Productive Streets, Top StoryEdward ErfurtMarch 17, 2023Safe and Productive Streets, Maryland, traditional development pattern, Development, development pattern, suburban development pattern, traffic congestion, community engagement

Build to the Street

Building to the street can create urban form and character, and increase the productivity of a site—even a site like this airport hotel.

Edward Erfurt, Urban Design, Top StoryEdward ErfurtFebruary 24, 2023urban design, urban planning, urbanism, traditional development pattern, hotels, productive place, Safe and Productive Streets, canada

A Century-Old Neighborhood Provides a Model for the Present Day

Good urbanism doesn’t have to mean large apartment buildings or an immaculate row of brownstones; the ad-hoc version on display in this Florida neighborhood is more relevant as a model of adaptation for the rest of us.

Herriges, Incremental Housing, Top Story, Community StoriesDaniel HerrigesFebruary 22, 2023Florida, history, traditional development pattern, Incremental Housing, neighborhood, suburban development pattern, suburban experiment, housing, housing crisis, ADUs, accessory dwelling units, infill, aesthetics

Revised Zoning Rules Make Minnesota City Legal Again

Zoning restrictions in this Minneapolis suburb have rendered much of its original development in violation of its current rules. The city’s leadership is looking to change that.

Incremental Housing, Top StoryBen AbramsonFebruary 9, 2023Incremental Housing, zoning, Minnesota, housing, Development, development pattern, development, traditional development pattern, suburbs, suburban development pattern, suburban experiment

Parking, Pizza, and Apartments at the Mall

The way we build our neighborhoods in North America is nothing like making a pizza. But maybe it should be.

Incremental Housing, Top Story 2Michel Durand-WoodJanuary 31, 2023canada, Canada, Development, development pattern, development, traditional development pattern, mixed use, neighborhood, Neighborhoods, incrementalism, resilience, Incremental Housing

Recovering the Lost Art of Mixed-Use Development

Mixed-use development was once the norm in cities and towns, but most Americans no longer remember how it works. Here are 3 easy-to-understand forms that mixed use could (and should) take in your community.

Edward Erfurt, Planning Profession, Zoning, Top Story 2, Incremental HousingEdward ErfurtDecember 2, 2022mixed use, development pattern, traditional development pattern, urban planning, Development, development, planning profession, planning process

Taco John’s 2.0

Our most famous case study revealed the high cost of auto-oriented development. But what if a little creative rearrangement could make things a whole lot better?

Urban Design, Edward Erfurt, Top Story, End Parking MandatesEdward ErfurtOctober 21, 2022urban planning, urban design, traditional development pattern, suburban development pattern, Taco Johns, Brainerd MN, Parking, parking, suburban retrofit, productive place

We Often Don’t Think About Design—But It Tells Us How To Think

Design affects us in a multitude of ways, and when we look to nature as inspiration for designing the built environment, the core takeaways are: adaptation and incrementalism.

Incrementalism, Sheppard, Zoning, Top StorySeairra SheppardAugust 9, 2022design, urban design, Neighborhood Design, aesthetics, incrementalism, incremental, incremental development, incremental growth, zoning, traditional development pattern

The Magic of Legacy Shops Comes Back to Life in Buffalo

If you live in a city or town with old, abandoned storefronts, this one’s for you!

Neighborhoods, Small Scale Developers, Success Story, Top StoryBernice RadleMay 17, 2022business, small business, local business, coffee shops, New York, small-scale developers, traditional development pattern, mixed use, success, success stories

Herriges Rezoned: A City Shaped by Many Hands

Incrementalism is not an end in itself. Nor is it about a “small-is-beautiful” aesthetic for its own sake. Instead, it’s a practical pathway toward resilient, financially sound places.

Herriges, Housing, Urban Design, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesMay 11, 2022Chaotic but Smart, traditional development pattern, small-scale developers, Charleston, incremental development, incremental, incrementalism, North Carolina, urban design, housing, Housing

Suburban Design is a Tragedy of the Commons

We tend to choose larger homes than we want our neighbors to choose. The result: suburban-style development that doesn't match what people actually want from their communities.

Suburban Experiment, Housing, Top StoryDevon ZuegelMay 3, 2022sprawl, infill, Development, development pattern, development, traditional development pattern, suburbs, suburbanization, suburban experiment, suburban development pattern, housing

Reflections on Seaside

What does and doesn’t work about the “great-granddaddy” of New Urbanism?

Walkability, Urban Design, Incrementalism, Top StorySeth ZerenApril 22, 2022Florida, urbanism, New Urbanism, urban planning, urban design, placemaking, human scale, incrementalism, incremental development, incremental, traditional development pattern, walkability

Can We Build Strong Towns from Scratch in the 21st Century?

We love organically grown, incrementally developed cities…but could we replicate their success if we started a new city from scratch?

Upzoned, Podcast, Housing, Top StoryStrong TownsApril 20, 2022Podcast, podcast, Upzoned, housing, Development, development, development pattern, traditional development pattern, cities

The Village of Providence and Its Supposedly Impossible Stuff

You might not guess by looking, but this traditional neighborhood development is an employment powerhouse.

Economic Development, Neighborhoods, Success Story, Top StorySteve MouzonApril 11, 2022Entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship, mixed use, traditional development pattern, neighborhood, Neighborhoods, alabama, success, success stories, business, local business

In Hospitable Cities, You’re Welcomed by Design

Some neighborhoods can feel downright hostile, especially to outsiders. But many places have become this way due to inhospitable design, not inhospitable people.

Neighborhoods, Public Space, Urban Design, Top Story, OwensTiffany Owens ReedMarch 31, 2022placemaking, urban design, Neighborhood Design, Neighborhoods, suburban experiment, human scale, walkability, Texas, public space, food trucks, neighborhood revitalization, traditional development pattern

Two Highways and Two Eras in New Jersey

These two highways in New Jersey run parallel and very close to each other—and traveling along them allows a sustained view of two different development approaches.

Roads and Streets, Urban Design, Top StoryAddison Del MastroFebruary 17, 2022roads, New Jersey, Addison Del Mastro, Development, development, development pattern, suburbanization, traditional development pattern, urban design, urban planning

What Does “Radical Neighborhood Change” Look Like?

“No neighborhood should be exempt from change. No neighborhood should be subjected to radical change.” Let’s examine what this core Strong Towns principle actually means.

Herriges, Incrementalism, Neighborhoods, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJanuary 27, 2022strong towns approach, development pattern, Development, development, traditional development pattern, neighborhood change, neighborhood, Neighborhoods, Neighborhood Design, Small Change, incremental, incrementalism

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.

Neighborhood Design, Neighborhoods, Top StoryAddison Del MastroOctober 29, 2021Addison Del Mastro, urbanism, Maryland, Washington DC, photos, neighborhood, Neighborhood Design, Neighborhoods, traditional development pattern

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?