Comments for New Urbanism Blog

Comment on What Traffic Engineering and Retail Analysis have in common (or My rules are better than your rules) by Neighborhood Retail: BlogOff from The New Urbanism — EVstudio, Architect Engineer Denver Evergreen Colorado, Central Texas Architect

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 04:33:03 +0000

[...] New Urbanism Blog: What Traffic Engineering and Retail Analysis have in common [...]

Comment on What Traffic Engineering and Retail Analysis have in common (or My rules are better than your rules) by Ken H

Ken H — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:04:10 +0000

Great points, Kevin. There is also an element of Freakenomics in the “best practice” rules to which developers adhere. Many lifestyle retail centers are gold plated strip malls charging outrageous lease rates. This allowed half empty centers to obtain property valuations based on those higher lease rates and an opportunity for the developer to cash out that equity. Businesses that try to make a go of it in these centers may have a hard time generating the revenue to keep the lights on let alone to pay themselves.

I contrast this with a couple businesses owned by friends and colleagues who chose smaller storefronts in existing neighborhoods, kept their costs low, and created a warm and inviting interior fit out. They are swamped with business, have become local legends in some instances, and are living the dream. It’s this fine grain, similar to Slater, that provides the opportunity to start small and grow a business. That allows a business of modest means to provide goods and services to their community at an affordable price. What a concept.

Comment on Who is Kevin Klinkenberg? by Kevin Klinkenberg

Kevin Klinkenberg — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:30:54 +0000

Thanks Libby,

There’s lots of discussion about that critique out there. But, what I’d ask first is – “what do you actually mean by that?” You have to get to the bottom of what people are saying. Most NU is very new, and new places tend to real not as “real” as places that have been around a while. But, all those places we seek to emulate were once new as well. There are those who complain about the architecture feeling “contrived” or “Disney-like.” Again, we have to get at what the real objection is. For many architects and designers, anything that is not one of the contemporary styles is “contrived.” But, does the lay person feel that way, too?
There are legitimate critiques, and we should listen to all of them. What I would suggest you do is continue to ask people hard questions, to try and find out what they specifically are objecting to.

Kevin

Comment on Who is Kevin Klinkenberg? by Libby

Libby — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:58:15 +0000

Hi! New Urbanism is, or course, a good idea and not many planners are arguing with that. The only complaints that you sometimes hear are these rumblings about aspects of it being “contrived” or not feeling “real.” I am trying to get to the bottom of that at my new blog. BUT, I just started and I have like three(!) readers. So, some time when you are not too busy can you (and/or some of your readers) look and comment please?? If possible, be gentle, I am a new blogger

Comment on Resolutions for America – 2012 edition by Stu Sirota

Stu Sirota — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:59:32 +0000

Nice job, Kevin. I’d add one more for individuals: consider making your next move to a walkable neighborhood. We’re a highly mobile society, and nearly one out of 5 Americans move every year. If more people were aware of the benefits of living in less auto-dependent places and actively sought out more sustainable living arrangements for their next move, there would be a corresponding increased demand for pedestrian and transit oriented places. This could lead to rapid changes in market practices and municipal policy priorities.

Comment on How to Destroy Your City, in 3 Easy Steps by Slim

Slim — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 04:32:00 +0000

Nice post, Kevin. I drive and walk by this corner every week (and have since 1995) and I am appalled at the slow decline of this intersection over those 16 years. The loss of the florist ~3 story building on the NE corner for a Walgreens was sad. The Jimmy Johns is prettier than the old Popeye’s/Winchell’s on the SW corner, but no better from an urban standpoints. But this new Gomer’s building is sad. So sad. The exterior materials are so poorly chosen and the details are amateur. I assume the contractor designed it because no architect I know could do that bad of design work.
This building breaks all the rules for urbanity and crime prevention (as mentioned above).
@Batty: More and better lighting can help. So can cameras. But those things are masking bad building –to-neighborhood relationships. I am sure the building is designed to be better hardened against crime inside the store, but a better building design could have lessened crime outside the store as well. The “big picture” was completely ignored when this building was designed.

Comment on Learn to love Sprawl? by Danny P

Danny P — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:19:23 +0000

Kevin,
I was pleased to read some of your more practical comments on urban sprawl as other subjects. While be an urban planner is bears similar feeling as telling someone how to arrange the furniture in someones home and how to live a more “healthy and efficient” life around your planned ideal. As a person whom was part of the first eco wave in the 70′s, certain aspects of conservation beacame part of my thinking and the life i lead as i am sure this genertation of “sustainable” persons with with their life moving forward which is good for all. I will state though, like, many negative human behaviors we have, one cannot and more importantly understand, we cannot legislate, mandate or shape peoples behaviors overnight. Damn, leave it to us impatient americans, we want to do things quickly! The evoltion of peoples behaviors and how we live our lives has to evolve, whether gentle pushed or heavily legislated. Not only do we need to evolve socially, but we all need to keep in mind we need to consider ( as most heavy handed extreme advocates do regardless of position on the subject) is that we also evolve as we age in our lives. Our values change as we grow older. Our economic, social, and family values change over time. I find it amusing to hear a young person talk about sustainable, walkability and the overall heroic social concious values they posess and how others in the community need to adopt their way of life lest they perish, when in fact, this single,young, childless, financially limited “hero” cannot see that the entire community they live in posesses a vast array of values. Yes, those varing array of values eventually translate into our lives in the form of behaviors by which we live. Indeed, planning in many cases is severly lacking, but at the same time lets back up a moment and consider this small factor before we bash the suburbs. I at one time lived in a cl-de-sac and my kids rode their bicycles safely there. We as a family walked and rode bicycles almost every day through out our neighborhood – safely. I read about all the bashers of suburbs, and their lack of walkabitlity and truly feel pity for that person, because they obviously either grew up in a bad neighborhood or they have never once lived in the suburbs. I live in the country side now, and my walks are through the woods mostly as we have no sidewalks, but honestly we rode bikes and walked MORE when we lived in those dreaded and evil un-walkable suburbs.