The Elusive Walkable Life
Many people value the idea of living in a walkable, human-scale community. Yet they remain the exception rather than the rule in both Canada and the United States. Why?
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Gaithersburg, MD – First to Break the Rule of Perpetual Urban Sprawl
Gaithersburg was the first municipality in the U.S. to break the rule of perpetual urban sprawl. This deep dive explores how they did it.
Featured
Two sets of maps explain why so few middle-class parents raise children in American cities.
Maps made 80 years apart reveal how successful 1930s-era policymakers were in setting in motion the downfall of urban life for middle-class families.
My Patriotic Education
The better I understood our racial caste system—and a family member’s key role in shaping it—the more deeply American I felt in a positive sense.
Four Objectives Required to Break the Rule of Perpetual Urban Sprawl
If a local government is going to break the rule of perpetual urban sprawl it needs to realize four specific achievements.
The Human Scale
A 4-Part Definition for Quality of Life and Why it Matters
People often use the phrase “quality of life” subjectively. I’d like to use the term to describe something tangible. It’s a definition that places middle-class families in cities.
A Masterclass in Human-Scale Neighborhood Design: Accommodate the Automobile but Build for Pedestrians
A century ago Halifax, NS employed neighborhood design principals worth emulating today.
Eight Bountiful Benefits of the Human Scale
An evidenced-based rationale for human scale development.
The Natural World
The Value of Direct, Convenient Access to Nature
Our health and happiness are shaped, in part, by direct, convenient access to nature.
Why Municipalities Are at the Center of the Climate Crisis
This is the first article in a series exploring municipal climate rhetoric and reality. Whether acknowledged or not, municipalities are at the center of the climate crisis.
Top-Down, Bottom-Up: Civic Culture and the Shape of Cities
This is the second article in a series exploring municipal climate rhetoric and reality. Maine and Nova Scotia illustrate how culture can produce incompatible planning and development outcomes.
Governance
The Need to Empower Talented Developers to Produce Human-Scale Development
Community-minded developers still face barriers to building walkable, human-scale development. National organizations have an opportunity to help eliminate known barriers in municipalities across the country.
The Rule of Perpetual Urban Sprawl and Its Exceptions
Search results on Realtor.com indicate the rule of perpetual urban sprawl still applies. Gaithersburg, MD is an exception to the rule.
Four Objectives Required to Break the Rule of Perpetual Urban Sprawl
If a local government is going to break the rule of perpetual urban sprawl it needs to realize four specific achievements.
Society
The Elusive Walkable Life
Many people value the idea of living in a walkable, human-scale community. Yet they remain the exception rather than the rule in both Canada and the United States. Why?
Two sets of maps explain why so few middle-class parents raise children in American cities.
Maps made 80 years apart reveal how successful 1930s-era policymakers were in setting in motion the downfall of urban life for middle-class families.
How Urban Sprawl and the Legacy of Slavery Undermine Quality of Life
What does self-interest entail given what urban sprawl and our unique domestic history?