Do you have a favorite food truck? These micro businesses are often features of their communities, and they represent an important stage of incremental development. But strict zoning laws can put these businesses at risk. Hot Dog House FL learned this the hard way when parking mandates evicted them from their main operating location.
Read MoreConnecticut is trying to reform state and local zoning laws to allow diverse and affordable housing production. However, their efforts still rely on the suburban approach — accruing large amounts of debt in anticipation of future growth — so they may be doomed to failure.
Read MoreUnderstanding the real costs and long-term liabilities of our infrastructure is essential for the long-term prosperity of our places. Unfortunately, this detail is often overlooked in our decision-making process.
Read MoreWould you wait a month to fix a leaking pipe that was damaging your kitchen cabinets? No? Then why do we wait so long to fix streets where people continuously die in car crashes?
Read MoreNew facilities aren’t bad, but they do present a problem when we can’t afford to maintain them after they’re built.
Read MoreThere is nothing inspirational in calling the place you live as accessory to something else. It’s time we returned a sense of dignity to the smaller structures that people have called “home” for generations.
Read MoreThe unique planning and eclectic architecture of Savannah, GA, provide a PhD education on urban design—but there are also cautionary tales about development to be gleaned from this historic city.
Read MoreEven just a little bit of snow can reveal a lot about the vulnerability of the suburban development pattern.
Read More“Is this a good project, or will it set up my city for financial insolvency??” Here’s how to find out.
Read MoreConventional thought would tell us that the new commercial developments in a city should be the most productive compared to the older buildings downtown, but that’s not necessarily the case.
Read MoreIf a roof is leaking in a public building, we know to fix it asap. So why don’t our public officials move with the same urgency when dealing with a much more serious problem: the death of a person on our streets?
Read MoreStreets are some of the most hostile and dangerous places in our built environment, causing the deaths of over 40,000 people every year. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Read MoreODOT wants to widen a highway in Toledo, OH. But continuing to make the highway bigger and bigger to solve traffic problems is about as effective as the story of the little old lady who swallowed a spider to eat a fly.
Read MoreChange everything. This is the program that will help revitalize your city.
Read MoreUrban planning involves a lot of jargon that can be obscure or confusing. Here’s one term you might not have heard, but that can make a big difference in the design of your city.
Read MoreThe best time to influence a development proposal so that it fits well into its urban context is early, not late, in the process.
Read MoreIf your city, like so many others, needs more housing and fast, then here’s a way some places are streamlining the process.
Read MoreAccording to the United States Census, prior to the pandemic, half of all businesses in the U.S. were home based and nearly eight million people worked primarily from home…but according to urban planners, this is illegal!?
Read MoreDrivers tend to unconsciously regulate their speed based on visual cues. By taking some simple steps to narrow a street visually, we can make it less dangerous.
Read MoreRoundabouts are great, but completely replacing an intersection with a roundabout is an enormous project—and not the first one cities should jump to when taking the next smallest step to address traffic safety concerns.
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