I’m completely ripping off The News-Sentinel’s headline above, but it’s too good not to. (BTW: Great headline, Caleb!) In his column today, Kevin Leininger comments on the proposed rezoning of 633 properties in a “downtown edge” zone. On paper, perhaps, the proposed changes — intended to codify earlier downtown improvements plans — don’t seem all [...]
Tag Archives: Urbanism
‘Is America’s suburban dream collapsing into a nightmare?’
by Jon Swerens on June 20, 2008, in Culture, Neighborhoods, Urbanism
The above is the provocative headline on a story on cnn.com. After some description of the foreclosures in suburbia, the story focuses on the shifting attitudes of homeowners. “The American dream is absolutely changing,” (Christopher Leinberger, an urban planning professor at the University of Michigan and visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution,) told CNN. This [...]
Good links
by Jon Swerens on June 11, 2008, in Architecture, Neighborhoods, Urbanism
Be sure to check these links: The New York Times Magazine published an architecture issue titled “The Next City.” It tackles questions such as why are sidewalks essential for democracy and can an instant city ever feel like the real thing? City Journal features a story about how New Orleans is rebuilding from the bottom [...]
Today’s rant: Abandon downtown!
by Jon Swerens on June 4, 2008, in Downtown
From today’s News-Sentinel: When you drive on our terrible streets or drop your kids off at schools that are in dire need of repair, just think of all that could have been done with the money being wasted on downtown. But don’t think about how the financing of Harrison Square actually works. From the city’s [...]
Will Harrison Square hate pedestrians?
by Jon Swerens on May 24, 2008, in Architecture, Downtown, Urbanism
Will the Harrison Square retail development in downtown Fort Wayne make pedestrians more or less welcome? And why would I ask the question, seeing as how there are so many pedestrians drawn on the architectural renderings? But there’s a potential problem with the above streetscape, and David Sucher’s Three Rules for urban design (PDF) addresses [...]
The 12 traits of a walkable community
by Jon Swerens on May 24, 2008, in Urbanism
What makes a walkable community? Dan Burden gives us the 12 most important things to rate when searching for a Walkable Community. Note how they apply so well to smaller towns: 1. Intact town centers. This center includes a quiet, pleasant main street with a hearty, healthy set of stores. 2. Residential densities, mixed income, [...]
James Howard Kunstler: The tragedy of suburbia (video)
by Jon Swerens on May 17, 2008, in Urbanism
Anthony, who lives in suburbia but who is a good sport about it, passes along this link to a James Howard Kunstler filmed in February 2004 and posted at TED. As that Web site says: “In James Howard Kunstler’s view, public spaces should be inspired centers of civic life and the physical manifestation of the [...]
This world is my home
by Jon Swerens on May 11, 2008, in Philosophy, Uncategorized
Sometime in the early 20th century, American Christians forgot the importance of the earth. The reasons are complex, but they boil down to a pessimistic view of the future and a vaguely Gnostic distrust of the physical. This view led not only to prohibitions on good things like alcohol, but also to an overemphasis of [...]
Melborne: A Pedestrian Paradise
by Jon Swerens on May 6, 2008, in Neighborhoods, Urbanism
In preparation of Wednesday’s talk about walkable communities, take a 10-minute stroll through Melbourne. Go here to watch the video. Here’s a paragraph about Melbourne: There is an invaluable lesson here. In the early 90s, Melbourne was hardly a haven for pedestrian life until Jan Gehl was invited there to undertake a study and publish [...]
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