A key objective of community planning is the building of healthy, vibrant, and distinctive neighborhoods.

Proximity, association, and accessibility between home, work, and leisure activities are essential factors in building places with a strong sense of community.  In the book A Pattern Language, author Christopher Alexander advocates for a comprehensive change in the nature of zoning.  He envisions a work – home relationship where… (more…)

BREAKING NEWS!

New US Rules To Favor Streetcars, Other ‘Livability’ Projects

By Josh Mitchell of Dow Jones Newswires  (excerpted)

The Obama administration said Wednesday it would begin steering more funds toward…

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News courtesy of Kurt Schindler at MSU-Extension:

A new manual describing Low Impact Development (LID) techniques that uses basic principles modeled after nature to protect the environment and manage storm water runoff for land development in Michigan is now available.

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“Communities are facing new challenges in attaining economic growth, increasing wealth, and improving quality of life for residents.”

As part of our bedtime reading, we at Building Place have been reading the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency publication entitled, ‘Economic Development and Smart Growth: 8 Case Studies on the Connections between Smart Growth Development and Jobs, Wealth, and Quality of Life in Communities.’

Here are some excerpts from the report, along with a few thoughts of our own (emphasis added)…

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