Walkable neighborhoods drive numbers: 209 kids, 9 Ghostfaces, Seven princesses, 4 WICKED Witches, 2 sea creatures, 1 Dr. Binkman, and a Ghostbusters movie later…#happyhalloween !

The simplest messages often hold the most truths.

Howard Blackson@hblackson.bsky.social · 7mo ago

It’s true…

My walk through traditional neighborhoods reinforces the need for housing variety. Duplexes, townhomes , quadplexes, 6 plexus, 3-4 story apts, single fam, apts over stores, existing and new, add richness and a variety price while maintaining the character of a neighborhood.

Rivertown Market, Detroit. #Grocerymarkets play a critical role in the success of downtown living and revitalization efforts. They encourage foot traffic, and in revitalized downtowns, they act as community anchors, drawing in residents and visitors, serving as meeting places.

The Judge Woodward plan for #Detroit, 1807. Created after the Great Fire of 1805 destroyed the city. The plan’s intersecting radial and angled streets, sets up unique oblique views in the downtown, the “deflected vista” while providing picturesque siting opportunities.

What can American cities learn from European urbanism? Walkable streets, human-scaled buildings, mixed-use neighborhoods, and connected public spaces offer valuable lessons. The challenge isn’t copying European cities, it’s adapting their lessons. youtu.be/3iY4sHHbf8E?...

Europe vs North America | City Builders Ep.43

YouTube video by City Builders

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The three prongs of the housing crisis: Affordability- Availability- Accessibility The terms are often used interchangeably. They require their own specific response + coordination. Each has its own inherent challenges. But they have very different answers to the question “who’s it for?”.

The Miami Loop, a transformative, non-motorized initiative by colleagues, Mari Chael and @victordover.bsky.social , FAICP. Check out the video of this game changer. youtube.com/watch?v=LssP...

Miami Loop 2026

YouTube video by Dover Kohl

youtube.com

We intuitively know the answer but, why are the most attractive urban residential areas the ones that were built decades or even centuries ago?

Adaptive reuse of existing buildings is a critical tool for the sustainability and resilience of our cities. It allows our cities to be viewed creatively and provides valuable lessons regarding what we should value in our built environment. Field study: the Ruhr Valley in Germany.

A slight #designdiversion Stellar Cartography. For all of you fans of sci-if TV, movies, or books such as Star Trek, Lost in Space, Alien, Dune, etc., here’s a rabbit hole….uhhh…..worm hole to go down. #todaysmap youtu.be/tso5pSzBRDo?...

The Location of Deep Space Nine and Sci-fi Stars

YouTube video by The Overview Effekt

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This is why we do it. Before/afters like this prove the power of incremental city-building. At Archive DS, we’ve transformed cramped, dysfunctional buildings while preserving their place in context; here, turning 36 units into 12 modern apartments/lofts. #MediumScaleMediumDensity

Mark and I connect with colleague San Diego-based urban designer Howard Blackson to talk about his hyper-local focus on the San Diego region, and the future of urban design. How does West Coast urban design differ from other regions?

And, most importantly, what’s next? youtu.be/0fARpqj1M3Q?...

Talking w/Urban Designer Howard Blackson | City Builders Ep.42

YouTube video by City Builders

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Each street, no matter what condition it’s in currently, has an underlying character that can be built upon and enhanced. It’s about how we approach these streets. Do we approach them with reverence or disdain or apathy?

An intriguing industrial find in the back alleys of London, Canada, a few years back. I liked the simple, blocky, rugged forms and character. The concrete masonry, the brick, the industrial sash windows the painting of wood elements. It screamed for #adaptivereuse in the future. #urbanobservations

It’s pretty simple. Want more people biking? Build a network. Protected paths are good, but connected, safe, low-stress routes are what actually make cycling a way to get around. Stop building isolated lanes! www.cyclingwest.com/advocacy/stu...

Talbot St., Leamington, Canada. Smalltown main streets still have great bones. Add urban housing and they can fuel demand for homegrown retail, services and unique businesses. Renovations, infill, adaptive reuse, restorations, and yes, a craft brewery, how what’s possible. #todaysmainstreet

An #UrbanStructureDiagram of Vienna, one of my all-time favourite cities. Studying there shaped how I think about architecture and city making. My sketch captures the streetfronts, plazas, landmarks, my dorm, and my local café. USDs are how I remember/document place.

Detroit’s downtown public spaces are more interconnected than they first appear. Often, in cities, individual spaces get the attention. The linkages between them don't, and that's where a system succeeds or fails. Downtowns’ public realms should be judged as a network. youtu.be/en2Moo3eRco?...

What an Excellent Collection of Public Spaces | City Builders EP.41

YouTube video by City Builders

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Thinking again about the Detroit/Windsor border. In today’s climate It’s seen as a barrier. I prefer to think of it as a seam, uniting shared histories, and the relationship to the river. I study the “seam” via #urbanstructurediagrams , documenting memories of place, landmarks, and connectivity.

What makes a city truly bike-friendly? It’s connected, low-stress routes to everyday destinations, and safer journeys. Look beyond what you build to how well it connects people and protects them. 🔗 www.familyhandyman.com/article/most... #UrbanDesign #Mobility #CityBuilding

The Best and Worst Cities for Biking in 2026 — Is Yours on the List?

See which U.S. cities rank best for biking and which have the highest cyclist fatality risk, based on two recent national studies.

familyhandyman.com

Good Sense Coffee, Howell, Michigan Coffee shops are frequently cited as community amenities. Third places. A corner location, ample glass frontage, and seating inside and out contribute to sidewalk vitality. An example: Ground floor design IS urban infrastructure. #todayscoolcoffeeshop

Small-town Main Streets offer big lessons for urbanism. This one’s both destination and thoroughfare. Its width weakens the “outdoor room,” but local character, retail and everyday activity make it a place. Field study: Grand River Ave., Howell, Michigan, USA. #todaysmainstreet

What does it mean to be an urbanist beyond the projects we design? One aspect that often goes overlooked is civic leadership: involvement in your locality. Boards, committees,groups, institutions. We discuss because,cities are shaped by people who choose to participate. youtube.com/watch?v=KDT8...

Importance of Civic Leadership | City Builders Ep.40

YouTube video by City Builders

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What can a painter teach us about seeing a city? Georgia O’Keeffe’s architectural paintings remind us that cities aren’t just buildings and streets. They’re experiences of scale, light and abstraction. What might we miss if we look at cities only through the language of urban design?

Lighting, a crucial component to the public space experience . Lighting can dramatically enhance a building or space that has a great degree of articulation and/ or detail. Lighting can also accentuate the scale and material qualities of buildings and spaces with less articulation or detail.

Icons begone. As we remove iconic (from a local nostalgic viewpoint) buildings and structures from the city, questions arise: Where are the new iconic places? And, who and what will define them? #toronto #honesteds #samtherecordman #worldsbiggestjeansstore

Colour in architecture. As I’ve seen more and more examples worldwide, I’ve come to the conclusion that, while paint isn’t architecture, colour can play a critical role in accentuating the experience of a building or a place. It can be bold or subtle, dramatic or calming.

#todaysmap courtesy of Marco Te Brömmelstroet the Cycling Professor @fietsproffesor on LI, illustrating the intensity of bike lanes in Europe. Its a few years old now, so it’s probably even more dense at this point. It never ceases to amaze me.

Have small indie bookstores made a comeback? Across cities, I'm noticing a rise in small, curated shops mixing new, used & rare books. While big-box stores push lifestyle goods, indies focus on discovery, curation, attraction, & place. Street-level signals of urban change. #urbanobservations