Top 5 Recent Stories (July 22–July 26, 2019)
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1. Approaching Peak Housing Dysfunction in California
by Daniel Herriges | July 24, 2019
San Bruno, California laid out a detailed blueprint for more housing. One developer followed that blueprint. $3 million and 3 years later, the city killed his project anyway. Find out why, and what the Golden State should do differently.
by Charles Marohn | July 22, 2019
A real market urbanism looks like an organic system, where as many distortions as possible are removed and we’re left with irrational, fallible humans transacting with each other as freely as possible. There is good reason to correlate that with the traditional development pattern.
3. Why We Should Build Cities for Our Unconscious Brains
Strong Towns Podcast | Charles Marohn & Ann Sussman | July 22, 2019
Traditional architecture has evolved through millennia of trial and error to harmonize with our unconscious impulses, make us feel comfortable and encourage positive social behavior. Modernism too often throws those lessons out the window—and one architect thinks the trauma of World War I had something to do with why.
4. 5 Ways To Make the Missing Middle Less Missing
by Daniel Herriges | July 19, 2019
Missing Middle development—anything from a duplex to a cottage court to a small apartment building—is an indispensable piece of the Strong Towns vision for cities that are resilient, adaptable, and can pay their bills. We need to revive a culture of building this way: here are 5 ways cities can start.
5. Lessons in Traditional Development from Small Town Tennessee
by Robert Sulaski | July 23, 2019
Two small Tennessee towns reveal the mighty power of a traditional downtown square—even one that isn’t designed to achieve its full potential. It’s simply the most foolproof and financially productive style of development there is.
(Cover photo via PxHere)