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DEADLINE EXTENDED to Feb. 15th - Re-opened Call for Abstracts and Design Competition
Join us for an important IN-PERSON International Making Cities Livable (IMCL) conference in the livable showcase of suburban retrofit,...
Jan 29, 20216 min read
Good news from Dr. Anthony Fauci, pointing to IMCL live conference proceeding in June
In spite of the slow start of vaccinations, he still expects that by April, "everyone will be able to get a vaccine." The Palladium...
Jan 14, 20212 min read
Season's Greetings from the IMCL Directors and Board of Stewards!
Looking forward to a better year ahead, and an inspiring International Making Cities Livable conference and celebration in Carmel,...
Dec 24, 20203 min read
The Emerging Lessons of COVID-19: "Addressing Social Isolation Through the Built Environment"
A webinar talk by IMCL leaders Phil Stafford, anthropologist, and Michael Mehaffy, urban researcher. Screen shot from the talk,...
Dec 21, 20202 min read
Beautiful placemaking in not so beautiful weather
We can find lessons in many great cities of how to make a public space attractive in spite of bad weather. The image at left is the old...
Oct 5, 20202 min read
How COVID-19 is spurring urban innovation
Diners from two restaurants in Portland, Oregon, Zeus Cafe and Jake's, enjoy the newly reclaimed street space next to a "bicycle...
Sep 10, 20203 min read
COVID-19 is threatening our health in more ways than one
Our drive-through lifestyles have already fueled a dramatic rise in obesity-related illnesses, and the pandemic could make it worse – or...
Jul 23, 20204 min read
Lessons for streetscape placemaking
Sometimes deceptively simple "urban rooms" are all that's required By Peter Elmlund. In Beijing of all places, I found one of the best...
Jun 17, 20201 min read
Needed: Main Street Regenerators
By Peter Elmlund. In a newsletter from The New Localism group, former Brookings fellow Bruce Katz and cowriters call for a "Main Street...
May 13, 20201 min read
The overlooked value of half-empty places
By Peter Elmlund. There is something special about half-empty bars, restaurants, and cafés that never have a full house. Here you can...
Apr 24, 20203 min read
More selected patterns from our new pattern language book: Four "regional patterns"
Another sampling from the new book developed in collaboration with UN-Habitat and other partners. By Michael Mehaffy. Our book A New...
Apr 20, 20202 min read
The changing lure of city cores
The under-appreciated influence of separation and relocation of business functions. By Peter Elmlund. After the suburban heyday of the...
Apr 17, 20203 min read
Why "a building is not a tree"
Or, how Christopher Alexander’s landmark 1965 paper can still guide us in thinking about the coronavirus, and other urban challenges The...
Apr 13, 20205 min read
Small Firms Reconsidered
We need better tools to properly value their true social and economic benefits. By Peter Elmlund. Saving small firms has become a mantra...
Apr 8, 20203 min read
A New Feature - Selected Patterns From Our New Book!
Developed in collaboration with UN-Habitat and other partners, the book offers innovative as well as time-honored patterns for making...
Apr 5, 20202 min read
Why we need "sociable distancing"
The false duality between dense public spaces and isolated private ones misses the complexity of all the diverse—and relatively...
Mar 30, 20207 min read
The Death and Life of Great American…Suburbs?
Long considered beneath serious attention by design and planning elites, suburban settlements in the United States are emerging as key arena
Jan 20, 20206 min read
Architecture Programs Need a Change: Put People First—Not Just ‘Art'
Here is an essay on architectural education and the need for reform, written by a group of educators and practitioners including our own...
Jan 20, 20205 min read
Remembering Suzanne Crowhurst Lennard
It is with great sadness that we report the passing of our dear friend and collaborator Suzanne Crowhurst Lennard, at 3:15 AM on...
Jan 20, 20203 min read
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