As oversized homes fall out of fashion, is Junior's private lair disappearing? And is that really so bad?
As the nation's love affair with McMansions continues to wane, what does that mean for our kids? Trulia says that more than a third of the homebuying market now wants a pad under 2,000 SF. Scott Doyon points out the benefits that may be in store for our kids in these smaller homes, including learning to share, cooperate, problem solve, and self-edit. And that's before you get to the benefits of a more connected community. Doyon says:
"I'm a parent so, not surprisingly, I'm always on the lookout for intersections between that and my work in community design. The last time I considered the issue, I was thinking at the level of the neighborhood and exploring how walkable, mixed-use, mixed-product environments help parents combat a host of contemporary child-rearing ills."
"Today I move from the neighborhood to the house and wonder: In what ways are evolving trends in home buying impacting our kids - and our responsibility for raising them?"
Thanks to Hazel Borys
Read the full story: Smart Growth = Smart Parenting, Part Two
Avoiding Plannerese: Keep it Simple
Planners, architects, and urban designers talk the talk and walk the walk, but often in a cone of silence, unheard - or at least not understood -- by those outside the profession, says Scott Doyon.
Seven Social Capital Building Blocks
In the triple bottom line of profits, planet, and people, it's people that tend to get the shaft. Scott Doyon lays out seven ways to change that.
Congestion Costing Reality Check, Part 3: Smart congestion relief
There are many better ways to reduce congestion in your city than expensive roadway expansion projects. Win-win strategies reduce congestion and provide many other benefits.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet
Get ready for that new train smell and more seats. But they won’t go faster or run more frequently on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon.
Trump administration unlawfully slashed $7 billion in clean energy grants, judge rules
The Environmental Protection Agency ended the Solar For All program, which provided the grants, after President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Record-breaking wildlife overpass in Colorado brings 91% reduction in animal collisions
Prior to the overpass, vehicles were hitting one deer per day on Colorado’s Interstate 25.
California lawmakers approve just 5% of much-needed LA28 transportation funding
State legislators appear just as unwilling as Trump to pay for Olympics-related transportation projects.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello