180º Urban Design will be in attendance at the annual Congress for the New Urbanism conference. We will also be at the XNU event on Friday. We will be serving on the panel and sponsoring this event.

Also, Brent Toderian will lead a discussion about observations on the future of New Urbanism from the Vancouver, Canadian, and late-30-something perspective. A panel format and small venue will enable the audience to engage directly in the discussion.

Will you be there this year? Have you been before? Let us know.

Click here for the invitation.

Design in the Works
Small Kansas City area architects are leading the way in cutting-edge designs and proving that bigger isn’t always better.
By Kate Leibsle

It’s not easy being an architect these days. With the tough economy, most businesses and municipalities have put the kibosh on new buildings and even renovations. Still, Kansas City’s small architecture firms are optimistic about the future and are working hard to stay busy and plan for the next construction boom. Instead of focusing on the slowdown, they are concentrating on expanding their services, integrating more green ideas into their work and creatively solving clients’ problems.

180 Urban Design and Architecture, which specializes in designing walkable communities, where residential, commercial and retail are more closely tied together, business is booming. Some of the interest is green related, while some is cities looking at ways to be more efficient with their resources, said Kevin Klinkenberg, a firm principal.

Click here for the full article.

Kevin Klinkenberg on the six transects:
T1. Natural
T2. Rural
T3. Suburban
T4. General Urban
T5. Urban Center
T6. Urban Core

Click here for the full powerpoint version.

Seeking to improve the design quality of your community, or looking for ways to encourage mixed-use development? This video is part one of a series that explores the basics of form-based codes and some common pitfalls.

Watch Kevin Klinkenberg discuss and compare commonly used techniques, and progressive ideas such as Form-Based Codes (FBCs).
Form-Based Codes: Prescriptive Vs. Proscriptive

Klinkenberg served on a panel of experts at the Mid-American Regional Council on FBCs and context-sensitive street design, as both are key elements for walkable neighborhoods. Stay tuned for the end of the series for the full downloadable powerpoint presentation.

From working with various cities throughout the country, 180º has found that when it comes to form-based code efforts, the goals from city to city can be very different.

It is important to define the areas where you want the form based codes to be applied and what types of applications are coming into the city. You must separate the good ideas from the bad.

Listen to Kevin Klinkenberg discuss how setting priorities and making decisions before crafting a code will help enforce what you envision for your city.