The ease with which we make friends as adults matters. Not just on a personal level but to the communities that ensure our survival. Scott Doyon takes a crack at explaining.
"David Roberts over at Vox posted a new piece recently — 'How our housing choices make adult friendships more difficult' — that really got me thinking. Any time I read a persuasive piece that positions traditional, compact, walkable forms of human settlement as inherently better than the more isolated, single use patterns we’ve come to characterize as sprawl, I immediately start imagining the counter arguments of those who’ve found perfectly happy and fulfilling circumstances in a subdivision somewhere."
"I don’t know what you’re talking about, they’d likely say. I live on a cul-de-sac that’s exactly the kind of car-reliant place you’re talking about. And yet I’ve made a slew of new friends, our children play together, and we gather in all the ways neighbors do — watching the game, evening drinks, helping each other out."
Doyon talks about why friends we make as an adult not only shape our lives, but also shape our communities. And our democracy.
No one is saying these people don’t like each other. Source: Roger Wilkerson, the Suburban Legend.
FULL STORY: Hey, Buddy: Adult friendships and the future of our communities
The Sidewalk to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions
When the vision's all right but the outcomes are all wrong, zoning's often the problem. And the public realm is left holding the bag.
Place Attachment as a Tool for Shaping Change
We fight for what we love. When we’re connected in affection, we’re both more inclined and more empowered to organize.
Here Today, Gone Tomorrow, Here the Day After That
Have NIMBYs and YIMBYs arguing in your neighborhood? Scott Doyon talks residential development.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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.
