The American Conservative - against master developments

Master planner-based developments, with their large, centralized buildings, inhibit the growth of local businesses and reduce the number of firms in the development and construction space. 

School of Life - how to make an attractive city

The 6 fundamental things a city needs to get right: 

  1. Not too chaotic, not too ordered: the ideal we are seeking is variety & order; perfectly in the middle of chaos and boring, and that is what humans adore.
  2. Visible Life: modern planners have become obsessed by hiding technology, rather than trying to make it nice to look at.
  3. Compact: it's wonderful to have the moderating influence of living close to other people in uplifting surroundings.
  4. Scale: if you want to see what a society really believes in, look at what the biggest buildings in the horizon are dedicated to.
  5. Make it local: attractive cities have a STRONG CHARACTER that speaks about their resident's culture, climate, history, connected to the distinctive use of materials and form.
  6. Political will: an attractive city is no accident; they are made through the will of  good planning.

Center for Applied Transect Studies - the transect

We can use nature as the best example to follow when building our cities.  Before the automobile, American development patterns were walkable, and transects within towns and city neighborhoods revealed areas that were less urban and more urban in character.

"A town is saved, not more by the righteous men in it than by the woods and swamps that surround it."       — Henry David Thoreau

Andres Duany - lecture on new urbanism

A lenghty video, but worth the time for you to listen to what the good, the bad, and the ugly aspects of the American pattern of development. 

Filmed over 30 years ago, This topic is as relevant today as it was back then,  If fact, this presentation should be required study material in High School. 

Gordon Cullen - the consice townscape

There is always a “here,” where you are, and a “there,” and it is fascinating to consider how we might shape these emotions to entice people to move about and explore while also fostering a sense of wonder, excitement, and tranquility throught the orderly organization and planning of a city.

Create Your Own Website With Webador