Seaside, Florida: what’s possible when vision, tradition, creativity, adaptation, and, yes, time converge in ways that allow for careful study and consideration.
"If memory serves, it was twenty years ago this year that Seaside, Florida, first showed up on my radar. That’s fairly early if you use the typical southeastern beach goer as your guide but not so early if your measure is the people who actually made Seaside happen. Their window was considerably different. In fact, by the time I clued in in 1995, they’d been at the task for almost 15 years."
"Over the course of the past two decades, I’ve had the immense good fortune of having met many of those people — the developer, the planners, architects who’ve designed buildings there, and people involved in the ongoing sales and marketing operation. In some cases, these meetings have been fleeting but, in others, they’ve involved walking tours around Seaside, complete with commentary on not just the community’s many successes but also its weaknesses and — dare I say it — even its failures."
"That provides a terrific lens when considering one’s own thoughts on Seaside. Today I’m just coming off a return visit there where I had nothing on my plate but a week’s worth of wandering and pondering. Today’s blog presents a small collection of those thoughts."
FULL STORY: Thoughts on Seaside at 35
The Sidewalk to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions
When the vision's all right but the outcomes are all wrong, zoning's often the problem. And the public realm is left holding the bag.
Place Attachment as a Tool for Shaping Change
We fight for what we love. When we’re connected in affection, we’re both more inclined and more empowered to organize.
Here Today, Gone Tomorrow, Here the Day After That
Have NIMBYs and YIMBYs arguing in your neighborhood? Scott Doyon talks residential development.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
