Ellen Dunham-Jones

Suburban Office Building

A Deep Dive into Suburban Retrofits

An interview with Ellen Dunham-Jones, co-author of "Retrofitting Suburbia," and Hazel Borys.

March 10, 2015 - PlaceShakers

Starbucks to go

What an Innocuous Piece of Plastic Says About Our Suburban Future

Suburban Starbucks models are bumming urbanists out. But they also served as a nice allegory of what the future there might hold. Scott Doyon's latest blog post explains.

October 6, 2014 - PlaceShakers

Who'll Fix the Suburbs?

Two new books proffer the end of the suburbs and the salvation of dense urbanity. But the suburbs are "not about to shrivel," says Justin Davidson. So who should be responsible for fixing suburban dysfunction?

October 1, 2013 - New York Magazine

Rem Koolhaas and the Contradictions of Capitalism

On Places, Ellen Dunham-Jones argues that "irrationally exuberant" architect Rem Koolhaas has encouraged followers to "shed the crippling shackles of critical theory and pick up a surfboard upon which to ride the shock waves of the new economy."

April 4, 2013 - Places Journal

Healthy, or Unhealthy, by Design

We've engineered physical activity out of our daily lives but it need not be a chronic condition. Hazel Borys points to recent suburban retrofits for ways to get moving again.

March 26, 2013 - PlaceShakers

Revisiting Retrofitting Suburbia

Matt Bevilacqua speaks with Ellen Dunham-Jones, renowned co-author of Retrofitting Suburbia, about the key factors impacting suburban redevelopment and the recent retrofit projects across the country that have caught her eye.

February 27, 2012 - Next American City

Video: Time to Urbanize Suburbia

The Washington Post's Ezra Klein suggests readers watch this 20-minute TED video featuring Georgia Tech's Ellen Dunham Jones, author of "Retrofitting Suburbia." Jones talks to the importance of making suburbs greener by retrofitting to urbanize them.

July 6, 2010 - Washington Post: Ezra Klein

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Websites

The best of the Internet—since 2002.

Top Apps

Planning apps for a brave new world.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

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.