Compact Urban Design
Please check out our latest Property Experiment, this time on the South Texas coast.
SpaceX Village @ Boca Chica, also known as the “Last Town Before Mars”, is a beachside micro-metropolis of dedicated engineers and dreamers.
Check out our latest Property Experiment, in the form of a design competition submission for a small metropolis.
Koyotl @CalCity is a walkable, bikeable, and sustainable desert oasis for 100,000 people in one square mile in Southern California.
Oriented toward or away from the sun depending on climate, rooms in attached dwellings can still get plenty of natural indoor light.
#B4placeBlurb #ProximityParadox
Multigenerational living has become a rarity, by design and regulation. To provide for more harmony in human experience, we’ve got to get back once again to places where people can live throughout all of their stages of life.
In compact places, rooftops and terraces filled with container gardens act as replacements for backyards–the skyline vistas from these elevated perches are also great complements to the cozy views down on the streets.
Over the past year or so, we’ve been sharing B4place Blurbs, which are visual flashcards describing some of the elements behind the great places that inspire our work. You can see all of them so far here on our blog under the #B4placeBlurb category.
We hope you enjoy them!
Rowhouses/Terraced Houses afford the opportunity for close proximity and the thermal and structural benefits of shared walls. This is why attached buildings have been the historic default around the world, no matter how small or big the place.
In compact places, boundaries between neighborhoods don’t have to take the form of formal walls or borders. However, symbolic and decorative gateways create a special atmosphere and sense of place for residents and visitors alike.
We need high vantage points to scan the horizon–it’s in our DNA. Low buildings spread far apart are now the rule, only made possible with cars and cheap energy. 3-8 stories with occasional towers used to be the norm and should be a choice again.
We’re happy to share this recap of the Camp Mustache Toronto 2019 Town Hall meeting, which featured a lively public discussion about our New Waterford Property Experiment. Check it out in our new Public Engagement section.
We believe that pictures and stories are key tools for change. We’ve curated these 5,500+ images for use in our own work and want to share them with you, too!
They’re all Creative Commons Zero (CC0) licensed, and therefore free-to-use for your projects, campaigns, or whatever you like.
You can find them in our Media Galleries here, or go to the pull-down in the top menu. Enjoy!
Wall-climbing vines are perfect for compact places, offering an abundance of vertical foliage in a small space. Often up-close and at eye-level, they bring life and texture to intimate spaces and are a simple way to experience the changing seasons.
Later this month, we will be speaking at the Creative Communities Conference and Workshop in Breisach, Germany.
You can book your ticket here if you’d like to join in the discussion!
One of the simple joys in life is getting the daily essentials within a short walk, passing friends and acquaintances along the way. Corner stores are the ultimate compact-living enabler, replacing the need for large pantries and big refrigerators.
The passage of time, honored in cemeteries at the heart of any community, is especially evident in fall. Leaves blown from trees as the cold winter comes is a perfect symbol of death’s role in the propagation of life.
Happy Halloween!
Small workspaces on the ground floors of townhouse blocks encourage dynamism and liveliness. Segregation of uses made sense back in the heyday of heavy industry. But nowadays, like in pre-industrial times, work is often quiet and easily contained.
Parks, plazas, and other social places that invite dozing off are hallmarks of a well-considered public environment and the heart of an enduring community.
Enjoy pastoral views from a new hilltop farming hamlet near the Dutch-Belgian border. In our latest Property Experiment , we continue to explore countryside conservation through ultra-compact placemaking. Check it out here.
Check out the cross-section of our country-road-focused, multimodal easement strategy!
Communities in which a child could freely explore were the norm in the past. It’s a vital aspect of ultra-compact places, which gives children the world-view and engagement skills they need to navigate both the hardships and joys of life.
The countryside is more valued when it has thriving, compact villages and hamlets interwoven within it. These are the bucolic landscapes through which people love to roam, and where kids with their dogs while away the afternoon.
Please check out our Central Kansas City Infill Property Experiment, where we’ve pre-visualized a compact industrial waterfront redevelopment with public spaces and a pedestrian market street.
Who doesn’t love going out at night and reveling into the late evening hours? In compact places, nighttime action is walkable, fun, and safe.
Exterior arcades protect the entry to buildings, and when long enough become rhythmic urbane walkways.
Inspiration and look-book for a concept we’re working on for a town in the U.S.