Even urbanists agree that certain improvements need to be made in suburban development, especially since suburbs will absorb most of the 100 million new Americans in the next four or so decades. We have to start to get it right more often. For those of you involved at some level with suburban development, this will be of interest to you. Last week The Planning Center, based in Orange County, California, released a report entitled “Five Steps Toward a New Suburbia.” Download it here - Five Steps Towards a New Suburbia. The report is a follow-up to last year’s “The New Suburbanism: A Realist’s…

I have volunteered with Habitat for Humanity on and off for over half of my life. I took annual work trips around the country with my church youth group in high school, was Vice President of the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus chapter one year, and most recently, worked up the street from Jimmy Carter in Puebla, Mexico in 2004. Needless to say, I was fascinated to learn more about Habitat’s Urban Programs, which, due to the complexity of working in urban areas, seeks alternatives to the single-family style of Habitat home that we all know. An article written by me about the Urban Programs and the efforts on the…

About a month ago I ventured to Charleston, South Carolina on business. I had been there years ago, but not since I heard the mayor of Charleston, Joe Riley, give his inspiring slide show about placemaking. I was on a mission to see one of the places he helped make in Charleston. If you have not heard Mayor Riley speak, you are missing out. The man is quotable and very inspiring. He says things like “most Americans don’t want density or sprawl.” I suppose he is right. “There’s no reason to build anything that won’t add to the beauty of the city.”…