CNU Salons
Tom Beeby wins the 2013 Driehaus Prize
Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 12/11/2012 - 4:25pmChicago architect Thomas Beeby is the 2013 Driehaus Prize winner. Beeby has a large portfolio of projects, many actually built, including the Harold Washington Library in Chicago. Beeby served as Director of the Architecture program at U. of Ill. Chicago from 1980-85 and as Dean of the Architecture School at Yale from 1985-91. Beeby is perhaps unique in his range of types from modernist glass and steel to buildings with historic references like the Washington Library.
Dude, where are my cars?
Submitted by Ryan Forst on Mon, 12/10/2012 - 5:36pmPacific Northwest sustainability think tank Sightline Institute’s Programs Director and blogger Clark Williams-Derry evaluated 2010 Census data and Total Vehicle Miles (TVM) data to show his region’s car usage is leveling off despite the traffic engineer led push for increased highway capacity. In short, Williams-Derry research contributes to the ever-growing list of work that point to the average American driving less.
Design for Social Change at CAF
Submitted by Alex McKeag on Mon, 12/10/2012 - 12:19pmThe Chicago Architecture Foundation held a panel discussion, Design for Social Change, as a part of its ongoing series Architecture is Activism. Tuesday night's talk featured architects, activists, and designers from across the country, all of whom brought their stories and unique perspectives on how to “design for the public good.”
My Generation Chooses Urbanism (More Than Its Parents, Anyhow)
Submitted by MLewyn on Mon, 12/10/2012 - 12:55amWhile I was rummaging through some old files at my parents' house, I discovered two books that I thought were pretty interesting: the school directory for the boarding school I attended in the late 1970s, and the 1999 alumni directory for the same school.
As a new urbanist, my first thought was: I wonder where people lived then? And what have they chosen today? This was a pretty fancy boarding school so I figured its student body was a pretty good sample of people who can afford both urbanism and sprawl.
CNU Fireside Chat with Chuck Marohn of Strong Towns
Submitted by Ben Schulman on Thu, 12/06/2012 - 11:11amJoin John Norquist on Wednesday, December 12th at 12:00pm EST, for a CNU Fireside Chat with Chuck Marohn, Executive Director of Strong Towns, the host of the "
Gentrification and rent- a fuzzy connection
Submitted by MLewyn on Tue, 12/04/2012 - 11:17amOne common argument for allowing cities to continue to decay or de-densify is the specter of gentrification: the fear that a retrofitted city might price out the poor.
Against "Community Character"
Submitted by MLewyn on Mon, 12/03/2012 - 10:25amIn an interesting article entitled "The Case for Listening to NIMBYs", Kaid Benfield mentions "that municipal planners would benefit by being more sensitive to building types that fit well with existing neighborhood character." He writes that pro-infill planners should encourage such infill to be consistent with the character of the existing neighborhood. Of course, he has a point: if a landowner wants to add housing units to a neighborhood, everyone is happier if those housing uni
The Onion Or San Francisco Chronicle? Hard To Tell The Difference
Submitted by MLewyn on Wed, 11/28/2012 - 3:10pmToday's headline: "S.F. Called Model For Affordable Housing."
Really? The same San Francisco where the average house is worth over $800,000 (about eleven times the median household income)? At first glance, the story seems at least as insane as any of the comedy stories on the Onion.