Archive for the ‘Architecture + Community’Category

When You Hand Someone a Gun, Make Sure You Know Where They are Going to Point It

Bethesda Row

As an architect and urban planner, my focus is always, first and foremost, on creating spaces for people.  That focus is filtered though a myriad of lenses, economics, client direction, etc., but the goal is always the same.  As most are aware, the U.S. experienced an explosion of growth after the second world war, and with the automobile as an affordable mode of transit, the nation’s urban structure burgeoned into what we now call the suburbs.  Zoning models followed this, regulating land use in a way that abandoned traditional walkable communities in favor of automobile-centric circulation.  In the last few decades, however, there has been a growing movement of communities embracing Form Based Codes.  Unlike traditional zoning  “Form Based-Codes (FBCs) seek to restore time tested forms of urbanism.  They give unity, efficient organization, social vitality, and walkability to our cities, towns and neighborhoods.” (via the Form-Based Codes Institute) Read the rest of this entry →

27

02 2014

Let’s Throw Ideas Against The Wall and See What Sticks

Artificial Turf Panels

Almost literally.  This is an image of a parking garage attached to a mixed-use development we did in Austin.  The crux of the problem: you’re replacing a nice parking lot in front of an existing office building such that now the office tenants only get to look at your concrete monolith until the end of their dreary days.  Read the rest of this entry →

22

11 2013

False Conclusions

White Buffalo - The Lancaster

White Buffalo is one of our Micro Unit Projects (Fort Worth)

The news source Mother Jones, whom I enjoy reading a lot, today posted and article “Report: Mansions Getting Bigger, Rental Apartments Getting Smaller” in which Erika Eichelberger notes this is a “metaphor for the lopsided economic recovery” and that “many younger and minority Americans have not experienced any recovery at all, and some are still losing wealth. Hence the need for more shoebox apartments.” Read the rest of this entry →

06

06 2013

Rowlett 2020 – Form Based Code

FBC

Rowlett Form Based Code Meeting

Last night the Rowlett City Council approved the Form Based code we’d spent the last year or so putting together.  While it was a fight, in the end, I think Rowlett will definitely be better for the code.  That optimism still hinges on a lot of factors, including the quality of city staff involved (which right now is excellent, but as with everything, you can’t predict the future).  I’ll elaborate on this more in an upcoming post where I’ll talk more to whole experience of the process, but suffice it to say, in my eyes, the citizens won this day.

If you’d like to view the FBC you can link to it here.

07

11 2012

In Your Community…

As part of the Rowlett Comprehensive Planning Charrette, one of the items that came up in our group as we considered Area E (which includes the downtown, the Water’s Edge, the Waterfront Entertainment District, and several others) was an idea to move some or possibly a majority of city functions to a new City Hall building to be incorporated into the city owned land of the Water’s Edge Development.  My initial take was with some apprehension, because I rather think that any significant financial investment by the city in new construction should go for a new attraction or amenity for the citizens that might help in drawing people to Rowlett.  Thus, I’m not convinced that including a new City Hall in this development would act as the kind of magnet we are all hoping for.  Most of our group agreed, but not unanimously.

This then got me thinking about what civic and non-civic uses do act as attractors within the community.  I recently posted a poll on Surveymonkey.com to help.  Now, most of the 64 people that responded are Twitter users (which is how I got the word out – see a recent report on the demographics of Twitter users here) and so this probably isn’t a terribly accurate or appropriately broad scientific sampling.  Disclaimers aside, I still find it illuminating. Read the rest of this entry →

19

07 2011

Water’s Edge Informational Meeting

On June 27th I attended a meeting run by Lynda Humble, the Rowlett City Manager, concerning plans to develop the piece of city owned land known colloquially as the Water’s Edge.  The meeting was a preliminary affair, with the City attempting to provide citizens with as much information about the development process as possibly.  At the time, they were in the midst of negotiating a land lease deal between the City and a partnership between Stratford Land and LSC conveying upon them the rights to develop the site.   Joining Lynda were representatives for the developers including Steve Sanders, Director of Investments for Texas with Stratford, and Shayne Whitehead, Vice President & Chief Operating Officer for LSC. Read the rest of this entry →

12

07 2011

Better Block – Ross Avenue (Dallas)

Last Sunday I went down to Dallas to observe the latest in the Better Block initiative, a grass roots collective intent on subversively reforming blight in the urban fabric.  The theory is to take a section of a city and impose a temporary installation that personifies the untapped urban potential of that site.  It is an initiative that is pedestrian, bike and green friendly and tries to help transform our mindset away from an automobile based culture. Read the rest of this entry →

30

06 2011

Guerrilla Urbanism – Part 1: Scale at the Water’s Edge

After having participated in the Rowlett Comprehensive Planning Charrette, I’m very excited about the possibilities that our community has open to it.  I’d like to take this opportunity, therefore, to examine the area that is the most likely to experience development first, the Water’s Edge.  If you read my post summarizing the charrette, you’ll remember that the Water’s Edge had formerly been considered for development with a very ambitious master plan in 2009.

This will be the first in a series of posts I’ll make examining this area and what might want to be developed there based on the information I’ve seen and the thoughts I’ve heard from citizens.  First, however, before we consider all the fun stuff, dreaming up what fantastic things might occupy the land,  I’d like to establish a little perspective.

Understanding space is not an easy thing, it takes skill and training, but it is essential to the manage the scope of a successful project. During the charrette a plethora of ideas where thrown out by people for what uses might well be accommodated here.  Clearly not all could be fully realized, but having a grasp on how this land area compares to others nearby should help.  For those Rowlett stakeholders who have an interest in this area, I believe the following analysis will be illuminating. Read the rest of this entry →

17

06 2011

Rowlett Comp Plan Charrette Follow-Up Meeting

Last night I attended the first of four local meetings detailing what happened in the charrette a couple weeks ago, and offering new data based on that event.  Unfortunately it wasn’t terribly well attended, as these things often are not, but I suspect it had something to do with the Mavericks playing in the NBA finals at the same time…just a guess. Read the rest of this entry →

01

06 2011

Rowlett Comprehensive Planning Charrette

As the country emerges from the great recession, my home town of Rowlett, TX is poised to make the most of the upturn and craft it’s future.  My wife and I have lived here since 2000, and this is frankly the first time we see any energy and optimism around the future development of our little burg.

For those who have never experienced it, this half day long charrette is organized by the city and the development team (comprising urban planners, architects, engineers, economist, etc.) to engage the citizenry and illicit feedback that will help shape the future of the plan going forward.  I engaged in the process for the first time as a citizen, and I hope that my professional experience in community and mixed-use/TOD development offered something unique. Read the rest of this entry →

31

05 2011