ARTICLES
The Original Articles archives of CharacterTowns.org presents papers that discuss practical and conceptual ideas for designing, building and managing character towns and small cities that are interesting, pleasant and prosperous places for residents, businesses and visitors.
Performance Management; The System for Learning and Innovation Organizations
Performance Management measures activities of the town government with the intent of improving performance; the best systems are not punitive, they are educational. Metrics matter. The system’s purpose is beyond auditing, it has a strong emphasis on learning and innovation. The transparent performance management system evaluates civic actions relative to the vision-driven strategy of the […]
Personal Rapid Transit
REMEMBER MORGANTOWN AND THE WVU PRT SYSTEM. The Phase I system began operations in 1975, with a final cost of $62 million. In 2012, the University Board of Governors approved $15 million as part of the renewal and modernization project. Over the years, software and vehicle systems have been upgraded – consider the evolution […]
Pittsburgh’s climate-friendly plan for condemned homes
To build a house, you need materials such as bricks, tiles, and shingles. But making those materials uses a lot of energy, which generates carbon pollution. If a building is later demolished and those materials end up in a landfill, the energy that went into making them is wasted. So instead of demolishing condemned homes, […]
Placemaking
Places make projects more valuable. In one sense, it’s the old – location, location, location. But then, one has to determine what makes a great location…great locations are places; places that attract residents, businesses and/or visitors. Individual projects, properly designed and sited, collectively make a place; and then the place makes the project more valuable […]
Placemaking Using “Special” Districts, e.g., Fort Worth.
Theory of Private-Public Placemaking. Individual development projects prosper when located in an area with a mix of other developments that attract people. A mix of private and institutional uses that comprehensively result in mixed-use, people-oriented places will include: restaurants, hotels, apartments, entertainment and sporting venues and cultural venues; supplemented by placemaking public parks and plazas, […]
Planning Affordable Housing and Neighborhood.
THE HOUSEHOLD INCOME-EXPENSE SQUEEZE. The affordability of housing in America at the start of the 21st century is an issue for many households. The remedy is complicated since not only are housing costs out-of-whack, but other household expenses are also growing faster than household incomes can absorb. A growing number of American families are struggling […]
Planning as a Useful Activity: Planning is Preparing to Solve Known Problems, Being Ready for Unanticipated Events and Taking Advantage of Opportunities.
A “PLUG” FOR PLANNING. Amazingly, not everyone believes planning is a useful activity. There are the old “communism” cries that have pretty much disappeared and there are the budget hawks who don’t give priority to anticipating and influencing future events for the betterment of the community. [embeddoc url=”https://www.charactertowns.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/A-Plug-for-Planning.pdf” width=”100%” download=”all” viewer=”google”] FacebookTweetLinkedInEmail
Planning Census-designated Places.
Planning Unincorporated City-like Places like Cities. Many counties in the United States have areas of urban or suburban development with housing and shops that are not within an incorporated municipality. The U.S. Bureau of the Census calls these unincorporated urban/suburban areas “census – designated places [C-DPs]”. The task is to plan these areas as though […]
Planning School Grounds for Outdoor Learning
NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL OPPORTUNITIES. Neighborhoods schools offer the opportunity to explore new approaches for teaching students, especially young students. The PTA, the school volunteers and the faculty can use outdoor space on the school grounds to teach selected subjects. Should the school board and the parks department be working in collaboration, space may already exist for […]
Pocket Neighborhoods
CT.org is exploring ways to provide affordable housing with minimum compromises on the quality of the structure and the quality of the neighborhood. Part of the answer seems to lie in the size of the living units and the size of the neighborhood. Last month’s edition presented micro cottagers and villages as implemented by Micro […]
Poundbury Reconsidered and Prince Charles’ Ten Urban Design Principles.
How things change: just as the Prince’s ideas on organic food and the environment have gone mainstream (homeopathy less so), so Poundbury has become wildly successful: the 400-acre site, built on Duchy of Cornwall land on the edge of Dorchester, has 1,700 homes, which command a 29% premium over similar ones nearby, according to research […]
PRE-PONCE FLORIDA, Big Ice, Crashing Plates and Dangerous Crossings.
CONTEXT FOR CURRENT CONDITIONS. The Earth has been around for a while. The current catastrophes of climate change, environmental degradation and the plasticization of the seas endanger mankind; however, the Earth will persist and regain its pristine essence once mankind has destroyed itself, migrated to new worlds or morphed into a species that thrives on […]
Preface for a Comprehensive Energy System
Conservation of Energy. Society’s first obligation is to not squander resources, especially the “free” resources provided by nature; and to produce resources that sustain its continued existence. Conservation of existing resources is the place to start. Water conservation, tree preservation, existing stream and drainage system respect and other resource protection and preservation ethics and actions […]
Preface for a Comprehensive Energy System Plan
Conservation of Energy. Society’s first obigation is to not squander resources, especially the “free” resources provided by nature; and to produce resources that sustain its continued existence. Conservation of existing resources is the place to start. Water conservation, tree preservation, existing stream and drainage system respect and other resource protection and presevation ethics and actions […]
Principles of Neighborhood Socialization and Civility.
CHARACTER NEIGHBORHOODS CARE ABOUT EDUCATION, HEALTH AND SAFETY. Society is based on the presumption that we will all abide by similar rules and customs of civil behavior. The physical design of communities and neighborhoods acknowledges the requirement for a civil society. City and neighborhood design attempt to create buildings and places having features that promote […]
Principles of Neighborhood Socialization and Civility.
CHARACTER NEIGHBORHOODS CARE ABOUT EDUCATION, HEALTH AND SAFETY. Society is based on the presumption that we will all abide by similar rules and customs of civil behavior. The physical design of communities and neighborhoods acknowledges the requirement for a civil society. City and neighborhood design attempt to create buildings and places having features that promote […]
Person to know about…Doug Farr
CT.org…Mr. Farr’s synthesis of sustainability and urbanism gives every city and town a path for remaining or becoming a successful character town…a great addition to the cause. Doug Farr is a nationally-recognized architect, urbanist, and author. He leads Chicago-based Farr Associates, a pioneering, sustainability-driven architecture and urban design firm that plans and designs lovable and […]
Project Management
Project management is a learned skill. The Project Manager can be a consultant or a staff member in a private firm, institution or public agency. In all cases, the project manager is the focus of the enterprise’sperformance to define scopes, schedules and budgets, and then to manage production and communication consistent with the goals of […]
Project Management, A Learned Skill
Project Management, A Learned Skill provides a flow chart for a typical project with steps along the way to guide the project manager. Project management is such a critical activity in any organization, public, private or institutional. Whether you manage or are managed, knowing the fundamentals of managing a project make life better and easier. […]
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN)
ABOUT PROJECT SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and community leaders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. In an effort to reduce violent crime, the Department of Justice […]