The Record talks with June Williamson, co-author of the popular book "Retrofitting Suburbia", about the importance of preparing suburbs for a new and different future.
Of course, many of the reasons cited by Williamson for why the suburbs need retrofitting are environmental:
"The suburban lifestyle, on average, has three times the carbon footprint of the average urban resident. The old environmental notion was that it was better to go back to the land, live in the country. But a lot of the quantitative evidence suggests that living in an apartment in a city is less destructive of the larger environment."
Williamson also talks about adaptive reuse, the role of government, and the good aspects of traditional suburbs.
FULL STORY: Putting the urban in suburban
First Model Homes Revealed in Disney-Built Community
Disney’s Cotino, in the Southern California desert, is the first of the company’s ‘Storybook Living’ developments.
EV Infrastructure Booming in Suburbs, Cities Lag Behind
A lack of access to charging infrastructure is holding back EV adoption in many US cities.
Friday Funny: Gated Community Doubles Down
The Onion skewers suburbia.
How Would Project 2025 Affect America’s Transportation System?
Long story short, it would — and not in a good way.
California Law Ends Road Widening Mandates
Housing developers will no longer be required to dedicate land to roadway widening, which could significantly reduce the cost of construction and support more housing units.
But... Europe
European cities and nations tend to have less violent crime than the United States. Is government social welfare spending the magic bullet that explains this difference?
California Room to Roam Act Prioritizes Wildlife Connectivity
A new state law requires new development and infrastructure to minimize disruption to local wildlife habitats and migration patterns.
Oregon Releases Historic Preservation Plan for Next Decade
A plan from the state’s State Historic Preservation Commission outlines priorities for preserving Oregon’s cultural and historic resources.
Austin’s Vision for I-35 Cap Parks Takes Final Shape
The city’s plan includes parks, entertainment pavilions, commercial space, sports fields, and other facilities over 30 acres of deck parks spanning a sunken Interstate 35.
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.
Placer County
Mayors' Institute on City Design
City of Sunnyvale
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Cornell University's College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP), the Department of City and Regional Planning (CRP)
Lehigh Valley Planning Commission
City of Portland, ME
Baton Rouge Area Foundation