I’m enjoying reading articles here, here and here about Jane Jacobs. Born in 1916, she was a self-taught urbanist and citizen activist who championed walking-scaled, neighborhood-centered cities. Though she had no college degree or professional training, she took on the power brokers of New York’s urban renewal policies of the…
Building a community from scratch is daunting, but the good news is that vibrant communities can grow from existing neighborhoods over time through the actions of people who live there, often without much money being spent. Right here, right now: Ten ways to build community. 1. Move your picnic table…
Summertime: a perfect time for porches. I grew up in a classic shingled bungalow with a wrap around porch. My sister’s family lives there now. The front porch faces the street and the lake (as many in Minnesota do); the side porch faces a wooded ravine with a creek, and…
Pocket Neighborhoods have received quite a bit of press since Ross Chapin Architects and The Cottage Company began building their communities in the Pacific Northwest in the 1990s. These intimate neighborhoods feature groupings of detached cottages and small homes clustered around garden courtyards. As you will read in the book,…
At the beginning of the Pocket Neighborhood book there is a story about a garden party I attended last summer. It was hosted by a friend in her orchard overlooking a broad valley — 20 guests at a long table dappled with late afternoon August sunlight. It was a beautiful…
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