Philip Langdon covers two new urban projects, Holiday neighborhood in Boulder, CO, and Beerline B in Milwaukee, WI, that achieve an intriguing mix of approaches and styles.
"Today, however, some of the most interesting new urbanist work is being carried out by groups of developers. By involving multiple developers, a sizable project can often be built more speedily, and it can incorporate great variety - in the kinds of buildings it includes, in the uses it accommodates, and in its range of styles."
"Two prime examples are the Holiday neighborhood in Boulder, Colorado, and the Beerline B project in Milwaukee. Both projects consist of parcels developed by a variety of companies or organizations, under the coordination of a public agency."
" 'The housing authority's role was to orchestrate the design process and take it through entitlement, negotiate affordability, and put in the infrastructure,' Developer John Wolff says. Prepared land was then sold to developers. The housing authority accepted a smaller financial return than would have been demanded by a master developer from the private sector. Residential prices have ranged from $104,000 for an affordable one-bedroom unit to $740,000 for a detached house."
FULL STORY: More developers, better results:a lesson in orchestration
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
Can We Please Give Communities the Design They Deserve?
Often an afterthought, graphic design impacts everything from how we navigate a city to how we feel about it. One designer argues: the people deserve better.
Engineers Gave America's Roads an Almost Failing Grade — Why Aren't We Fixing Them?
With over a trillion dollars spent on roads that are still falling apart, advocates propose a new “fix it first” framework.
The European Cities That Love E-Scooters — And Those That Don’t
Where they're working, where they're banned, and where they're just as annoying the tourists that use them.
Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”
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.
Borough of Carlisle
Smith Gee Studio
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)