Category: Placemaking and Design

Landscape Architecture, Placemaking and Design

Rural “Boomers” Use Design to Support a Multi-Generational Gathering Place

Seniors who live in in rural places face a tension between a desire to age in their original homes and the challenge of accessing continued enrichment and connections to community. However, seniors who live in the small town of Milton, Wisconsin, do not have to choose between their rural lifestyle and social opportunities.  Milton’s The Gathering Place is a non-profit, member-driven senior activity center where … Continue reading Rural “Boomers” Use Design to Support a Multi-Generational Gathering Place

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Placemaking and Design

Public Space and Conscious Design: A Case Study

Think of your favorite public space. It could be the park near your childhood home. It might be the waterfront promenade where you run, or walk, or ride your bike at sunset. Perhaps it’s a busy downtown street. Now consider: what is it about this particular space that makes you happy? That makes you feel safe, comfortable, welcome, at home? It is likely that your … Continue reading Public Space and Conscious Design: A Case Study

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Architecture, Placemaking and Design

Say No to Style: Community Oriented Architecture

Consider Roman arches. Arches were used in the Roman Empire because the form allowed structures to pass weight from above to below using fewer materials. The arch was so efficient that it spread throughout the Empire and became a defining characteristic of the Imperial style. Its use was, as a result, a reflection of the empire’s technical prowess and cultural values. In contrast, medieval Romanesque architecture … Continue reading Say No to Style: Community Oriented Architecture

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Placemaking and Design, Research Triangle

Chapel Hill (PARK)ing Day 2015

In the summer of 2015, undergraduate and graduate students interested in urban planning, design, and architecture participated in a five-week, design-intensive program at UC Berkeley’s College of Environment Design. The program, Design and Innovation for Sustainable Cities (Disc*), aimed to engage students in iterative, design-based solutions in order to reclaim public space for people, and included an underlying emphasis on tactical urbanism. Pursuant to the program’s mission, DISC* … Continue reading Chapel Hill (PARK)ing Day 2015

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International, Placemaking and Design

Ravelejar: The Art of Neighborhood Branding (2/4)

Part 2: Constructing the Mythology of Barrio Xino Part 1 of this series (“The Barcelona Model”) was published on this site on September 30, 2015. The neighborhood of El Raval  emerged during the Middle Ages due to outward expansion beyond Barcelona’s medieval walls. Tucked next to Barcelona’s port, it first functioned to house transient populations and travellers and was an early site of criminal activity … Continue reading Ravelejar: The Art of Neighborhood Branding (2/4)

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Housing and Community Development, Placemaking and Design

Planning, Design, and Architecture for Affordability

Over the summer, design and planning professionals gathered at AIA North Carolina’s Center for Architecture and Design (CfAD) to attend an expert panel on the subject of alleviating homelessness through design. The conversation centered around a hypothetical, transitional housing community, that would be located outside of downtown Raleigh. This comes in the wake of the announcement of the finalists for Activate14’s Tiny Home Community Ideas … Continue reading Planning, Design, and Architecture for Affordability

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Placemaking and Design, Research Triangle

The Potential for Community Design in the Triangle

The Triangle is uniquely positioned to embrace a new model for community design, capitalizing on a rich network of design initiatives and building on its legacy as a center for innovation. Design Community: The Potential for Community Design in the Triangle, the result of research conducted throughout the fall of 2014 and spring of 2015, extends the conversation about the potential of community design to … Continue reading The Potential for Community Design in the Triangle

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Housing and Community Development, Placemaking and Design

Rural Studio & the 20K House

As a mission-driven, educational initiative, the Rural Studio has been able to commit almost a decade of rigorous analysis to the careful development of these affordable housing prototypes, illustrating the important potential of community design to explore ideas and provide services that the private market is unable to support. In 1968, civil rights leader Whitney M, Young Jr. addressed the National Convention of the American … Continue reading Rural Studio & the 20K House

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Housing and Community Development, International, Placemaking and Design

Creative and Sustainable Living in Berlin

This article originally appeared in Transition Magazine, a project created by students taking the Burch Field Research Seminar in Spain and Germany. “I have lots of friends here and it is only a 500 meter walk to school. It’s great living with people who all support each other.” Berlin, Germany-In 2010, eight friends joined together with a common vision. They wanted to live together and create a place … Continue reading Creative and Sustainable Living in Berlin

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International, Land Use and Environmental Planning, Placemaking and Design

Sustainability Lessons from a German Neighborhood

Rather than working in opposition to natural forces, new American developments could follow Vauban’s example and plan with them. Vauban is an ecologically-and socially-minded neighborhood of 5,000 in Freiburg, Germany. In many ways, Vauban is a successful case study in sustainable urbanism. There is academic agreement that the design at Vauban is outstanding. Nevertheless, as long as this style of living and outstanding design is … Continue reading Sustainability Lessons from a German Neighborhood

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