by Yahya E. B. Henry What is Infill Development? Infill development is the process of developing vacant or under-used parcels within existing urban areas that are already largely developed. Most communities have significant vacant land within city limits, which, for various reasons, has been passed over in the normal course of urbanization. A successful infill development program focuses [...]
by Yahya E. B. Henry This summer has been a blur and seemingly, far from over. Over the past 3 months, I’ve had the opportunity to explore the Southern states of Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and South Florida. Some work, some play but overall an education. My summer started out by having to go to Gulfport, [...]
by Christi Elfein Andres Duany, famed architect for the firm DPZ and co-founder of the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), is becoming part of the solution to the crisis in Haiti. He has designed a basic cabin concept that can be pre-fabricated and built within days to house Haitians that remain homeless from January’s earthquake. The [...]
Driving can be hazardous to your health and in more ways than you think. A new study shows how driving less can help you live longer. The transition away from automobile-centered environments creates the ideal scenario for more walkable streets and safer communities. From AOL | Drive Less, Live Longer Let’s face it: Most motorists [...]
by Christopher Hill It’s a beautiful, warm spring day here in Richmond, VA. The sprinklers were going in neighborhood yards as I left for work this morning and the clouds are moving lightly on the breeze. With the sun shining and the birds chirping outside of my office window, even I and my old pal [...]
by Yahya E. B. Henry Rebuilding the fabric of inner cities has been a passion of mine since understanding the power of design and infill development-more specifically small-scale infill development. Small-scale infill can be classified as projects comprising less than 100 housing units and fewer that 10,000 square feet of commercial space. There a several [...]
Many point to Charlotte has an example of good urbanism and city vision. Charlotte’s leadership understood decades ago that the city could not sustain it’s suburban growth and made proactive steps to create the economic engine it is today. Aribra seeks to engage smaller to medium sized cities who can benefit from embracing more sustainable, urban [...]
Demographics are shifting and our current land use policies are not prepared to handle a significant shift in migration. With the poor having such a large presence in suburban America, retailers will face some challenges moving forward. If these trends continue, we can expect to see higher vacancy and crime rates in an area once [...]
by Christi Elflein Haiti is a country that has suffered for decades with widespread poverty, political corruption, environmental destruction, and natural disasters. Last week’s earthquake was devastating and made worse by the situation it was already in. The Haitians desperate situation has lead to 97% deforestation in the country, which has led to a lack [...]
Much of the devastation in Haiti has been attributed to inadequate design, building materials and construction standards. The country has been challenged with insufficient infrastructure only to be shaken to its core by a 7.0 earthquake. A lot of lessons can be learned here about the important of infrastructure investment and what the possible outcomes [...]
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