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The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces
The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces is Mr. William H. Whyte’s classic study of small urban spaces and the things that make them great. The study of pedestrian life started with this small book initiated with the 1971 beginning of his Street Life Project in New York City. Since then, a science has been developed […]
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The Metropolitan Revolution
Mr. Katz and Ms. Bradley have constructed a great and thoughtful book about innovation and the coming predominance of cities and metropolitan areas in the world of the New Economy. Federal and state governments are receding in their ability to be useful participants in international trade and in their capacity to fund local innovation and […]
Leverage and Its Corollaries
The basic idea of leverage is to take one asset and use it to increase the value of another asset. A physical asset such as a park invites weddings that build the sociability of the town. One thing leads to another, not by happenstance but by pre-meditation. [embeddoc url=”https://www.charactertowns.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Leverage-3.16.pdf” download=”all” viewer=”google”] FacebookTweetLinkedInEmail
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The Next 100 Years: A Forecast for the 21st Century
The Next 100 Years: A Forecast for the 21st Century by Mr. Friedman examines the history of the world from a political, sociological, economic and demographic perspective and then builds a scenario of the future using the principles of “realpolitiks” to determine which nations will rise in the current century. As with all predictions, his […]
Small Cities and Towns: Host to Businesses and “Talent” of the New Innovation Economy
Small Cities and Towns are great hosts to businesses and “talent” of the New Innovation Economy. Small cities and towns with character and internet connections to global systems are ideal locations for businesses and the workers high-tech businesses need to recruit in the New Innovation Economy. Small cities make great global cities and can be very […]
Multi-modal Mobility: A True Synergy
Multi-modal Mobility offers a true synergy for a transportation system in an urban environment. A comprehensive system of transportation options creates a mobility system that allows anyone to travel throughout the city anywhere at any time. Such a comprehensive system is available in only the biggest cities, but smaller cities and towns can use transit, […]
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The Next Hundred Million, America in 2050
The Next Hundred Million, America in 2050 by Mr. Kotkin examines the future and finds that suburbs hold the key to America’s resurgence with new ideas and approaches for the ever-popular form of habitation. Retro-fitting the suburbs based on many urbanist principles finds an outlet in many instances where pedestrian connections, open space systems and […]
Financing Redevelopment: Using Public Finance Tools for Vision-Consistent Development
Establishing special districts includes designing the sources and uses of funds at the same time as determining land use, circulation and open space. Small cities and towns can effectively use their public finance tools to support vision-consistent private redevelopment and infill projects. [embeddoc url=”https://www.charactertowns.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Financing-Redevelopment-3.16.pdf” download=”all” viewer=”google”] FacebookTweetLinkedInEmail
The City’s Form and Function – 2016
The City’s Form and Function – 2016: A Model for Small Cities and Towns discusses a sustainable model for small cities and towns. Sustainability theory tells us to balance the social, economic and physical attributes of the town. This essay examines the ideas behind the sustainability and urbanist approach as it applies to small cities […]
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The Upcycle: Beyond Sustainability–Designing for Abundance
Sustainable development is surpassed by the ideas in The Upcycle: Beyond Sustainability–Designing for Abundance by William McDonough and Michael Braungart, their sequel to Cradle to Cradle. Building on their unique and fascinating approach they move beyond making things less bad; their approach is to make things good. Buildings, landscape and products in character towns can not only […]