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Actually, NU is based around the use of Form-Based Code, No? Transects instead of single use zones, right? Or are they not interchangeable?

Many of the concepts are sound, but in practice, they are essentially just fancy suburbs. Not transit oriented, not walk to work (for a vast majority of residents),

I pretty much agree. Just because a neighborhood uses NU principles doesn’t mean it should be transit oriented or even ultra dense.

and usually with a density that makes them…[Read more]

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/james-carvilles-oil-outburst-10746347

this is the type of reaction I would loved to have heard 30 days ago.

agreed lance, absolutely.

Absolutely agree with the snob aspects of landscape architects over landscape designers. I’m a landscape architect and have found many believe the license to practice demands others respect their status as ‘experts’. In my current work in tender administration and evaluation as well as contract pricing I come across plenty of poorly detailed,…[Read more]

landscape design is just a part of landscape architecture. go figure

yes, all these time. good or bad. those who are not just may have more alternatives. its not as bad as it seems.

Your question is indeed the point at which design is valued by the design build contractor. The contractor loves good design, particularly if it generates a sale. You can bill for your hours (including ALL revisions)…and inevitably run into a roadblock with some contractors who do not want to pay. You can almost always cut a deal for a…[Read more]

There is no one size fits all answer to this. It starts with where the design leads are coming from which defines the range of demographic you are working within. Design can be a stand alone profit source only if it is working a demographic that values design, the cost of design does not overwhelm the budget of the project, and there is a…[Read more]

I like that, Jason! I am an Old Urbanist. hee hee!!!
It’s true these NU principles are just more colors on the zoning plat..Our entire economy is based on new construction, and that has really got to stop..Zero growth economics! Not a new idea at all..

Many of the concepts are sound, but in practice, they are essentially just fancy suburbs. Not transit oriented, not walk to work (for a vast majority of residents), and usually with a density that makes them uncomfortable to maximize profit. They CONTRIBUTE to sprawl. And holy crap are they expensive. Most are built on greenfield sites well out of…[Read more]

No.

Hey don’t bail too quickly! I’m down with it! Just had court today for…never mind, don’t wanna talk about it.

I’m thinking some golf courses will be abandoned to agricultural uses. Like he says, people want the open space. yet they can’t make it as golf courses. Why not convert to agrigultural use and the at least a small profit can be realized…[Read more]

No. Just graduated with an MLA a couple of weeks ago.

You already hit the nail on the head, your design services are discounted in order to procure the build aspect of the job. In order to make money on design, you really need to understand the time involved in creating the design for the client on a particular site. You need to find the most efficient way to work. Maybe its process, maybe it’s…[Read more]

I agree.

I’m too tired to analyze this, but I dont see where people are getting the idea that NU doesnt work. That said, I dont agree that there is a single formula for good community design as I still believe strongly in site-based design.

I personally dont see the attraction some have to sprawl suburbs–we all know the places–40 foot streets,…[Read more]

Couldnt have said it better myself Roland.

“Sprawl is the dream… the wife and 2.5 kids in a house in the burbs with a dog, a cat, and a white picket fence. How do you change the dream?’

The ‘(American) Dream’ hasn’t necessarily changed, we’ve just figured out how to market a cheaper version of it.

I think ultimately people need to realize that sprawl doesn’t really fit all people’s needs, and then the American dream will start to change and include other living situations. There is nothing wrong with wanting a single family house or with living in the country. The problem is that people are convinced by real estate agents and others that…[Read more]

sprawl is not my dream, by any means..I personally do not understand the attraction..I spent some of my formative years in McLean Virginia, and god, what a high-priced, non-transit oriented hell-hole..I think that is why I am an LA..What is good about the burbs? I love the mix, love walkability, and have created it in Fresno for myself, and found…[Read more]