Category Archives: new urbanism

Tallest Suburban Skyscrapers of the Midwest

Posted on December 3, 2018 by

Criteria for inclusion in this list: Minimum building height of 200 feet. Must be located outside the city limits of the core city(ies) of the metro area – suburban towers within the main city’s limits are not included. Must be … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, cities, downtown, economic development, geography, history, Housing, infrastructure, land use, new urbanism, planning, skylines, skyscrapers, spatial design, sprawl, Statistics, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Geography of Target’s Smaller/Flexible Urban Store Format

Posted on November 26, 2018 by

While visiting Chicago earlier this month, one could hardly miss seeing the influx of major retailers into urban areas. Particularly noticeable was Target with its trending urban and collegiate smaller/flexible format stores popping up over much of the city and … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, architecture, bicycling, Biking, business, cities, commerce, downtown, economic development, gentrification, geography, historic preservation, infrastructure, land use, logistics, Maps, new urbanism, Passenger rail, placemaking, planning, rail, revitalization, shopping, spatial design, Statistics, Trade, transit, transportation, urban planning, walking, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Tally of Food Truck Courts, Lots, Parks, and Pods 

Posted on May 21, 2018 by

Here’s my working tally of permanent or semi-permanent (seasonal) food truck courts, lots, parks, and pods that are open to the public on most, if not all, days of the week. The list does NOT include temporary rodeos, events, festivals, … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Cuisine, culture, diversity, economic development, economic gardening, Food, food systems, food trucks, fun, geography, inclusiveness, land use, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, Small business, spatial design, third places, tourism, Travel, urban planning | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Surviving Clusters of Shotgun Houses

Posted on April 14, 2018 by

The shotgun house, or shotgun shack is an easily recognizable long and narrow residential dwelling style that was most commonly constructed in the Deep South and along/near the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys in the decades between the end of the … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, Africa, architecture, art, cities, culture, density, diversity, economics, geography, historic preservation, history, homelessness, Housing, humanity, infrastructure, land use, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, revitalization, spatial design, Statistics, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

America’s hottest hipsterhoods in 2017

Posted on December 11, 2017 by

The following list developed by hotspotrentals.com identifies the hottest inner city neighborhoods around the country in 2017. Having been to Midtown Detroit back in late August and seen how exciting it is, one can only imagine the vibrancy and hipness of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, Alternative transportation, art, Biking, branding, Cities, civics, coffee shops/cafes, commerce, culture, density, diversity, economic gardening, fun, gentrification, geography, Housing, land use, new urbanism, place names, placemaking, planning, revitalization, spatial design, Statistics, third places, urban planning, walking | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Motor City soars to new heights

Posted on February 23, 2017 by

Yesterday, it was announced that Dan Gilbert, owner of Quicken Loans will be constructing the tallest building in the State of Michigan on the site of the former Hudson’s Department store in downtown Detroit. The tower is proposed to contain … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, architecture, cities, downtown, economic development, entertainment, fun, geography, historic preservation, history, Housing, infrastructure, land use, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, revitalization, skylines, skyscrapers, spatial design, third places, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Most walkable core communities of Northern Michigan

Posted on November 4, 2016 by

Want to find some healthy walkability ratings for downtown areas in Michigan? Then head due north to the Northern Lower Peninsula and/or the Upper Peninsula. Below are listed 19 cities and towns with walkability scores of 60 or greater for … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, Alternative transportation, business, cities, civics, downtown, economic development, economic gardening, entertainment, geography, historic preservation, infrastructure, land use, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, shopping, spatial design, sprawl, Statistics, sustainability, third places, tourism, Trade, transportation, Travel, walking, zoning | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Bay City, Michigan – in the sweet spot of new urbanism

Posted on October 17, 2016 by

From what this urban planner can tell, downtown Bay City, Michigan is, or is on the verge of becoming one of the hottest redevelopment markets in the state. The list of on-going and already accomplished projects is impressive for a … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptive reuse, architecture, cities, downtown, economic development, economic gardening, entertainment, fun, gentrification, geography, historic preservation, history, Housing, land use, new urbanism, pictures, placemaking, planning, product design, revitalization, skylines, spatial design, sustainability, third places, tourism, Travel, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Building a peaceful community with good planning

Posted on July 22, 2016 by

Building a peaceful community does not just result from how we treat one another (see previous post), but can be literally develop based on how we design our communities and allocate funding. The days of the “wrong side of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, Advocacy, airports, Alternative transportation, architecture, Bus transportation, Cars, cities, civics, civility, climate change, commerce, culture, diversity, economic development, environment, gentrification, geography, health, historic preservation, history, homelessness, Housing, humanity, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, Love, new urbanism, peace, placemaking, planning, pollution, poverty, rail, revitalization, social equity, spatial design, sprawl, sustainability, third places, traffic, transit, transportation, Travel, urban planning, walking, zoning | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Portland Conundrum 

Posted on June 20, 2016 by

Below is an eye-opening summary of the housing market in Portland, Oregon from the perspective of a new resident to the region, who also happens to be an urban planner and a friend of mine. The parallels to what we … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, cities, civics, civility, climate change, culture, demographics, diversity, economic development, economics, environment, fitness, food systems, futurism, gentrification, geography, health, holiday, Housing, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, logistics, Maps, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, politics, revitalization, social equity, spatial design, sprawl, Statistics, sustainability, transit, transportation, urban planning, walking, zoning | 1 Comment