Buying a home in a New Urbanist neighborhood in Eugene, Oregon becomes a practical lesson on the line separating academic discussions on New Urbanism and personal lifestyle choices for Professor Sriram Khé.
"..Discussions on New Urbanism were nothing more than academic exercises. As disconnected as I am from Ethiopian poverty or nanotechnology, I was equally disconnected -- at a personal level -- from urban sprawl and New Urbanism.
...When we first spotted the house that we eventually bought, my wife and I ignored it. Not because it was not spacious; its 1,983 sq. ft compared well with our 2,150 sq. ft. home in Bakersfield. But, the neighbor's house was too close, and the driveway to the garages behind the respective homes is a shared one. The streets are narrow, barely two lanes wide. There is practically no backyard space-after all, the house sits on a lot that is not even 5,000 sq. ft.! In other words, the house and the neighborhood were almost like the examples I would find in a textbook on New Urbanism and I was having problems with that."
Thanks to Chris Steins
FULL STORY: Practice What You Teach?
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Vehicle-related Deaths Drop 29% in Richmond, VA
The seventh year of the city's Vision Zero strategy also cut the number of people killed in alcohol-related crashes by half.
As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?
With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.
Berkeley Approves ‘Middle Housing’ Ordinance
The city that invented single-family zoning is finally reckoning with its history of exclusion.
SEPTA Budget Slashes Service by 45 Percent
The Philadelphia-area transit agency is legally tasked with maintaining a balanced budget. Officials hope the state will come to the rescue with additional funding.
Connecticut Governor Vetoes Housing Bill
Gov. Lamont reversed his view on a controversial affordable housing bill that would have required municipalities to zone for set amounts of affordable housing to receive state funding.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)