• How to create a bottom-up coalition for change

    Building a Better Burb can sometimes fall victim to raw politics unless public officials see grassroots support.
    Note: This document is one of a series of tools created for Build a Better Burb, the Hub for Great Suburban Design. The series emerged from the Build a Better Burb Sprawl Retrofit Council in Miami, Florida, in March, 2016—an event aimed at expanding transportation choice, sense of place, and...Read more

  • Finding Tucson's lovable places

    Whenever we are writing character-based zoning, one of the first things we do is a regional tour to analyze the DNA of the most loved places. Places cannot be resilient unless they can be loved.
    I was inspired and delighted last week by working in Tucson and Marana, Arizona . Whenever we are writing character-based zoning , one of the first things we do is a regional tour to analyze the DNA of the most loved places . Places cannot be resilient unless they can be loved. It’s one of the...Read more

  • City of hope

    Detroit’s real renaissance is now happening in many small places, not the few big ones. Walk around Brush Park, Lower Woodward, and Midtown, and you’ll find all sorts of cool stuff popping up.
    Detroit has lost all that it’s going to lose. The city has clearly turned the corner. If you didn’t get those ruin porn shots you wanted, it’s far too late now; the ruined mansions in Brush Park have either been demolished if they were too far gone, or are now being renovated. New construction...Read more

  • Main Street Center as a model for sprawl retrofit

    Suburban areas in need of transformation often lack an oversight organization to join, providing a network of support.
    Note: This document is one of a series of tools created for Build a Better Burb, the Hub for Great Suburban Design. The Build a Better Burb website has been recently updated by CNU. The Problem Suburban areas in need of transformation often lack an oversight organization to join, providing a...Read more