Types of Development for the Creative Class

Cool Town Studios offers this list of 19 development types for the creative class.

1 minute read

November 9, 2009, 5:00 AM PST

By Nate Berg


"Thanks to Chris Leinberger, author of the The Option of Urbanism: Investing in a New American Dream, we know what the rather uninspired, industrial age 19 standard product types are that institutional investors put their money in:

Office: Build to suit; Mixed-use urban; Medical

Industrial: Build to suit; Warehouse

Retail: Neighborhood center; Lifestyle center; Big-box anchored

Apartment: Suburban garden; Urban high density

Housing: Entry level; Move-up; Luxury; Assisted living/retirement; Resort/Second home

Miscellaneous: Self storage; Mobile home park

However, what would be the 19 urban development types for the creatives that fuel the knowledge economy?"

The list includes Pedestrian-Only Town Center Retail Entertainment Grouping, Mixed-Use Mini-Condo Mid-Rise and Live-Work Units.

Friday, November 6, 2009 in Cool Town Studios

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 18, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of Shirley Chisholm Village four-story housing development with person biking in front.

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.

June 8, 2025 - Fast Company

Woman and young girl looking at subway map, woman pointing.

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.

June 9, 2025 - John Pobojewski

Map of EV charging ports in rural U.S. communities.

The EV “Charging Divide” Plaguing Rural America

With “the deck stacked” against rural areas, will the great electric American road trip ever be a reality?

June 20 - The Daily Yonder

Google street view of Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn with pedestrians crossing a crosswalk and cyclist in the bike lane.

Judge Halts Brooklyn Bike Lane Removal

Lawyers must prove the city was not acting “arbitrarily, capriciously, and illegally” in ordering the hasty removal.

June 20 - StreetsBlog NYC

Close-up of cracked and damaged two-lane roadway with double yellow stripes on a bright sunny day.

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.

June 19 - Transportation for America