Infill

Creating 'greener' buildings will help address climate change... right?

December 5, 2014 - YouTube

This post critiques a common argument against federal support for public transit: that transit gets 20 percent of transportation spending yet has a much lower market share.

December 1, 2014 - Michael Lewyn

Despite a veto by Governor Jerry Brown, California’s Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins should keep trying to pass legislation to encourage preservation, says Bay area preservation architect Jerri Holan.

October 24, 2014 - UrbDeZine

For planners, the key to moving a city’s vision for development forward is to value public as well as private investment in projects, according to urban planner and author Howard M. Blackson III.

October 4, 2014 - UrbDeZine

The market forces that push developers and landowners to build “more” and “bigger” have cropped up in some of the swankiest neighborhoods in Portland. So far, neighbors who oppose the projects are finding scant legal recourse to prevent the changes.

March 13, 2014 - The Oregonian

City leaders from the Mayor on down recognize that infill development is necessary to create a more livable Los Angeles. So why does the public sector allow so many obstacles to stand in the way of small-scale development?

June 1, 2013 - The Architect's Newspaper

Frustrated by what's passing as "smart growth" and "transit oriented development," Bill Adams postulates ten refinements (or less subtly stated clarifications) of the principles of smart growth and new urbanism.

April 21, 2013 - UrbDeZine.com

In rising to meet America's changing housing needs and demands, not every community is positioned to pull it off. What to do? Painful though it is, Ben Brown suggests triage.

February 10, 2013 - PlaceShakers

As cities across the country consider ways to limit teardowns and large home construction in established neighborhoods, Anthony Flint argues that communities should be flattered by "mansionization" and accommodating to this form of smart growth.

February 1, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

A report released this week by the U.S. EPA finds that 71 percent of the country's large metro regions saw an increase in the development of infill housing over the latter half of the last decade. Greenfield development still dominates, however.

December 21, 2012 - EPA

Stringent zoning, high costs, and a culture of skepticism directed at developers have hampered efforts to introduce infill redevelopment into some of Minneapolis' most prime locations.

September 8, 2012 - MinnPost

As the global recession continues to hit the global economy, shopping centers take on two distinct development patterns in developed and developing nations.

June 28, 2012 - Retail Traffic

I appreciate natural environments. I have always enjoyed walking in wilderness and cycling on rural roads, and I understand the ecological value provided by undeveloped lands, which include clean water, air and wildlife habitat. I also enjoy local fresh vegetables and fruits and so appreciate the value of preserving regional farmlands. Planners call these "greenspace," or more generally "openspace" since some, such as deserts and waterways, are open but not necessarily green.

June 27, 2012 - Todd Litman

Following an ill-fated foreclosure in 2009, a residential project in Libertyville, IL finally finds its way while demonstrating the potential for an emerging field of redevelopment, reports Ann Dillemuth.

March 2, 2012 - APA - Sustaining Places Blog

Urban infill housing is becoming a major part of business for large homebuilders, even those building modular homes.

August 31, 2011 - Builder

A few months ago, I updated a city rating system (available at http://lewyn.tripod.com/livable09) that evaluated cities' "livability" by rating crime rates, transit-friendliness, and cost of housing.   Plenty of cities did very well on the first two criteria.  For example, New York is now safer than most big cities, and of course is by far the best city in the U.S. for public transit.  But its housing costs are dreadfully high.  The same was true of Boston and San Francisco (which, if only crime and transit were considered, would rank second and third for livability).  

July 30, 2011 - Michael Lewyn

The early skyscrapers were inspired by the idea of turning steel train bridges on their sides. This episode of 99% Invisible explains.

June 10, 2011 - 99% Invisible

A new organization in California is advocating for reforms to make infill a more viable option for communities around the state of California. Their three talking points: redevelopment, CEQA reform, and parking requirements.

May 3, 2011 - The Planning Report

Most cities don't get the chance to start from scratch. But Quincy, Mass. plans to raze most of its 50-acre center and build it anew with the aid of a private developer's upfront funding - a plan that may rewrite the rules of urban development.

April 11, 2011 - New York Times

The skyscraper, developed by Thomas Properties and financed by Korean Air, required a new signage district and a TFAR transfer. The development will provide a link between the Financial District and the emerging Figueroa Entertainment Corridor.

March 31, 2011 - The Planning Report