PlaceMaking Archive

If only this were real…: Now this is a true piazza in design and proportion, just the
What happens when places are designed for people?: You get places like this. The scene seems so natural, but it’s
Why are we great at designing software, not so much cities?: In this edgy ChangeThis manifesto, Made In USA, the Paul Graham, the
Placemaking from an artful perspective: What would a city look like from an arts point of view?
How do you create a great outdoor place?: Think about what makes a great indoor destination – a memorable, well-defined
Harvard Square: Great place-making, but the creatives are long-gone: Harvard Square is a visual wonder – the streets are alive with
Why are communities so ill-designed? Credentialing vs. Educating: Why don’t we design and build places like this anymore? Listen up,
Upper Rock District Plan #2: Here’s the other master plan proposal for the Upper Rock District. While
Upper Rock District Plan #1: The newly planned Upper Rock District, covered in the blog this week,
Designing an entrepreneurial village in a week: Welcome to the cool way to plan a town – the charrette
“I’ll have one of those”: This is a common response by real estate developers today who see
Creating places for informal learning: As highlighted in yesterday’s blog, informal learning is crucial for productivity and
What is New Urbanism?: Building a great community is much, much more than just the buildings,
Lighting up the night: Other than the exquisite architecture of Siena, Italy, one subconscious reason why
The ‘postcard test: Surely this scene passes what the former mayor of Milwaukee, John Norquist
The art of placemaking: So what is placemaking? Here is ‘place’ defined: Any portion of space
A city as a living painting: I can’t think of any other city where the notion of “living
The Block, the Street and the Building: Today the blog focuses on the last of three key components of
The Charter: The Neighborhood: Today the blog focuses on the second of three key components of
The Charter: The Region: Today the blog focuses on the first of three key components of
The Charter of the New Urbanism: The Charter for the New Urbanism is essentially an executive summary followed
What does Smart Growth have to do with job growth?: A lot! Unfortunately, you wouldn’t know it by reading the mainstream press.
Designing the Gen X urban village: Affordability: Design smaller-sized 4-6 story unfinished loft-style units (like these here by
A meeting of 1200 urbanists: 1200 urbanists met five blocks from my home at the annual Congress
The CoolTown water test: Take one city model, pour water over it, tilt slightly. How much
What makes Dubrovnik’s urban fabric cool?: Looking at the plan of the town above, you’ll notice that all
From basketball courts to medieval cities: The Department of Labor released a study stating that 70% of what
Cool town on the surface…: One of the country’s leading institutional investment groups, Federal Realty came upon