May 20, 2013
by Kaid Benfield
0 comments

New round of arts grants help revitalize and animate city neighborhoods

Kaid Benfield, Director, Sustainable Communities, Washington, DC
 
It’s no secret, unfortunately, that many American downtowns and neighborhoods were disinvested, some severely, over the past several decades.  The conse… Continue reading

Share on Facebook

May 8, 2013
by Kaid Benfield
0 comments

There must be a there (excerpted from People Habitat)

Kaid Benfield, Director, Sustainable Communities, Washington, DC
 
Today’s article is another excerpt from my forthcoming book, People Habitat: 25 Ways to Think about Greener, Healthier Cities, which will be coming out later… Continue reading

Share on Facebook

May 6, 2013
by Kaid Benfield
0 comments

Is there a way to (downtown) San Jose? (by Lee Epstein)

Kaid Benfield, Director, Sustainable Communities, Washington, DC
 
Today’s post is written by my frequent collaborator and contributor to this site, Lee Epstein  Lee is an attorney and land use planner working for susta… Continue reading

Share on Facebook

May 3, 2013
by Kaid Benfield
0 comments

What good, grassroots advocacy for complete streets looks like

Kaid Benfield, Director, Sustainable Communities, Washington, DC
 
I took a tour of Miami Beach this morning.  No, not in person (though I wish), but via the wonders of Google Earth.  And I didn’t see South Beach, … Continue reading

Share on Facebook

May 1, 2013
by Kaid Benfield
0 comments

Is it time for “smarter smart growth”?

Kaid Benfield, Director, Sustainable Communities, Washington, DC
 
I hesitate to write yet another article about bringing “smart growth” – the combination of ideas born in the 1990s to counter suburban sprawl &nd… Continue reading

Share on Facebook

April 29, 2013
by Kaid Benfield
0 comments

The case for building on a city’s historic assets

Kaid Benfield, Director, Sustainable Communities, Washington, DC
 
It’s ridiculously easy to think about the benefits of historic preservation in immensely walkable Providence, Rhode Island.  I’m not sure I’… Continue reading

Share on Facebook

April 19, 2013
by Kaid Benfield
0 comments

Can quality of life be mapped?

Kaid Benfield, Director, Sustainable Communities, Washington, DC
 
Earlier this week at the annual conference of the American Planning Association, I attended a very interesting session on GIS mapping of combined data sets.  … Continue reading

Share on Facebook

April 17, 2013
by Kaid Benfield
0 comments

The interdependence of successful towns and the rural landscape

Kaid Benfield, Director, Sustainable Communities, Washington, DC
 
As I wrote two years ago, a successful rural landscape – working farms and forests, and natural areas that last – is utterly dependent on successful to… Continue reading

Share on Facebook

April 11, 2013
by Kaid Benfield
0 comments

Where sprawl still rules

Kaid Benfield, Director, Sustainable Communities, Washington, DC
 
For several years now, many of us have been predicting – or even celebrating - the end of the era of unfettered sprawl.  Central cities have been ma… Continue reading

Share on Facebook

April 8, 2013
by Kaid Benfield
0 comments

Impressive public-private-NGO partnership begins to clean up an urban river

Kaid Benfield, Director, Sustainable Communities, Washington, DC
 
Because the American legal system provides little in the way of actual authority to solve regional issues, collaboration of one sort or another is often the best a… Continue reading

Share on Facebook

April 5, 2013
by Kaid Benfield
0 comments

Green cities explained in a fun cartoon video for kids!

Kaid Benfield, Director, Sustainable Communities, Washington, DC
 
Two days ago, I published Lee Epstein’s summary of the essential elements of green cities.  Many of those are on display in the fast-moving cartoon vide… Continue reading

Share on Facebook

April 3, 2013
by Kaid Benfield
0 comments

The essential elements of green cities (by Lee Epstein)

Kaid Benfield, Director, Sustainable Communities, Washington, DC
 
Today’s post is written by my frequent collaborator and contributor to this site, Lee Epstein. Lee is an attorney and land use planner working for sustainabi… Continue reading

Share on Facebook

April 1, 2013
by Kaid Benfield
0 comments

NRDC, CNU launch potentially “historic” agreement to control sprawl, rebuild cities

Kaid Benfield, Director, Sustainable Communities, Washington, DC
 
Washington, DC, April 1, 2013 – The Natural Resources Defense Council and the Congress for the New Urbanism announced today that the two national organizatio… Continue reading

Share on Facebook

March 29, 2013
by Kaid Benfield
0 comments

‘Portlandia’ send-up of the ‘tiny house’ movement

Kaid Benfield, Director, Sustainable Communities, Washington, DC
 
I’ve often written about the cottage lifestyle, featuring small homes usually set around a common.  It makes a ton of sense for some parts of today&rsqu… Continue reading

Share on Facebook

March 27, 2013
by Kaid Benfield
0 comments

Cities and the ecology of “people habitat”

Kaid Benfield, Director, Sustainable Communities, Washington, DC
 
I am very pleased to announce that my new book, People Habitat, will be coming out later this year.  It will be available in both print and ebook formats, and… Continue reading

Share on Facebook

March 25, 2013
by Kaid Benfield
0 comments

A new twist on property rights – the strange case of squatters’ sovereignty

Kaid Benfield, Director, Sustainable Communities, Washington, DC
 
It’s one thing to claim the government shouldn’t mess with your property because you own it and have the records to prove it.  It’s another … Continue reading

Share on Facebook

March 15, 2013
by Kaid Benfield
0 comments

Five ways to rock the Irish green on St Paddy’s day

Kaid Benfield, Director, Sustainable Communities, Washington, DC
 
Since I happen to love Ireland – for me it’s not a family thing so much as a land-and-culture admiration thing – I herewith present five ways to … Continue reading

Share on Facebook

March 13, 2013
by Kaid Benfield
0 comments

The seven deadly sins of land use

Kaid Benfield, Director, Sustainable Communities, Washington, DC
 
I have been invited to participate in a program tonight on sloth.  I’m even featured, promoted.  How should I feel about this?  Embarrassed?&n… Continue reading

Share on Facebook

March 12, 2013
by Kaid Benfield
0 comments

David Dixon, leader of 2013′s top city planning firm, on what makes cities great

Kaid Benfield, Director, Sustainable Communities, Washington, DC
I believe it was in 2000 that I first met David Dixon, head of the planning practice at Boston’s Goody Clancy architects.  We were both part of a forum in Bosto… Continue reading

Share on Facebook

March 8, 2013
by Kaid Benfield
0 comments

This is transit-oriented development?

Kaid Benfield, Director, Sustainable Communities, Washington, DC
 
Yikes.  I literally do not know where to start with today’s article.  But I’ll give it a shot:  at the top, you’re looking at the … Continue reading

Share on Facebook