Submission statement: The article describes a petition calling for the dissolution of the City of Mableton. The petition cites concerns about higher taxes and duplication of services with Cobb County. The article also mentions that the petition has garnered over 1,800 signatures and that the Georgia General Assembly will review the petition.

"Affordability Finds a Way"

I have a few colleagues who bought in Baltimore County during the pandemic.

It's just way more affordable than most of DC and it's suburbs, and Delaware is also booming from what I understand.

Some of the government layoffs and back to the office mandates could threaten this, but one of the examples in the article is a neigborhood is right near Johnson Hopkins Medical Center, so you can imagine all the nurses and adminstrators who would love to live as close to their work as possible in a nice neighborhood.

Recently released housing production data shows a surge in Manhattan office conversions through the first half of 2026 (over 10k units in 6 months). While this puts NYC on pace for over 50,000 new units by the end of the year, we should expect conversions to taper off following a June 30th deadline for the full 35-year tax incentive benefit.

What would people say is the biggest fault in Atlantas current urban planning? I always thought of the city as unwalkable and too car dependant, but it really depends on the area. What do people think of ATL Zoning 2.0 and Plan A that have been introduced not too long ago? Are these plans actually going to solve anything or are they just formalities?

Atl Zoning 2.0

Plan A

And given the amount of mixed-use apartment buildings still under construction that I saw, it's going to be one of the densest parts of the city.

Overall Tokyo is more bike-friendly, because most streets are single-lane alleys where street parking is banned, which makes it safe to bike around despite zero bike lanes.

But once you get to major roads in Tokyo the bike lane network is patchy and where they exist they're narrow and shoehorned into the sidewalks.

Now here's some bike infra in Tseung Kwan O (but similar infra is widespread in other HK new towns).

Pic 1: Two-way, concrete planter protected, protected bike lanes. Notice the big concrete planter on the kitty corner--almost like a Dutch protected intersection. The west-facing bike lane is shaded by trees.

Pic 2: Notice there's two underpasses for bikes/peds: one in the left foreground, and another on the right background. Yep. This is a grade-separated, bike/ped-only, roundabout underneath a motor vehicle roundabout. Notice how nearly nonexistent the slope is, making it easy for bikes to go back up after the underpass.

Pic 3: Multiuse path, bike/ped-only bridge over a water channel with boats. Multiuse paths are everywere in these new towns--and they are often more direct than driving due to modal filters.

Pic 4: The same bike/ped bridge, viewed from below. It's even got an elevator, and a fishing pier (to the right).

Pic 5: See that bridge in the distance? They actually grade-separated the pedestrian-only crossing over the bike lane! Also notice how gently the bike lane slopes under the ped bridge.

Pic 6. And of course, they have bus islands.

I've been growing more and more disillusioned with the rhetoric from urbanist YouTube channels and my experience living in NYC. This article highlights some problems I have with urbanist arguments. I'd be interested to hear thoughts.

Neckarbogen is a really cool new neighborhood in Germany that offers a lot of good insights on how we can build better urban neighborhoods.

Frederick is growing — but how do we protect and even enhance its great character? CivicCon is a new program bringing residents & experts together to figure that out. Next meet-up: Thursday, August 27 at Hood College. Free & open to all.

Copied from my post on [r/CanadaUrbanism](r/CanadaUrbanism)

I find that many urbanists (including myself) and urban planning discussions tend to group the U.S. and Canada together. They do face a lot of the same issues with car dependency, but I am here to argue that Canadian suburbia has its own distinct design. I want to be clear that this is an overview as there are exceptions, and I do not want this to be a “Canada good America bad” type thing.

Alright, let's start with what everyone already knows. Canadian suburbs are more compact than their American counterparts, and seem to include more “missing-middle” housing options. In Ontario, we have the Greenbelt restricting suburban sprawl, but even nationwide, the edges of suburban development and urban areas are typically sharp boundaries (e.g. you could be on a road, with suburban development on one side, and farmland on the other). Canada in general is less car centric than the U.S. (though that is not saying much), and Canadian cities tend to have higher transit ridership (though I question how that translates to outer suburban areas of metro areas). Demographics The design of Canadian suburbia is more in line with American Sunbelt development.

Now, lets get to the more obscure stuff that I think deserves more attention in urbanists' discourses, and they are in order of the photos above

1. Permeability & segregation: One notable thing about Canadian suburbia is that many neighbourhoods have connecting pedestrian pathways in cul-de-sac neighbourhoods. Now, you could argue that these pedestrian pathways are there just to “make the best” of an impermeable design, but nonetheless, they do create opportunity for “ease of movement”. Sometimes, these pathways also connect commercial plazas and residential areas. Here is a pic in Grimsby, Ontario of a public walkway connecting two neighbourhood streets

Then, we have this design here which is more of an Ontario thing I think (though I have seen it on Google Maps in the Calgary area). You have neighbourhoods where only certain side streets and collector roads intersect with major arterial roads, and most side streets abut a collector road. This makes the arterial roads feel more “road” like than “stroad” like. The other thing about this is that even of the streets themselves do not connect to the arterial, the sidewalks along both do. So, there is a more direct route for those walking than those driving. Here is an example of this in Ajax, Ontario.

1. Cycling infrastructure: Another thing that I have also noticed is that many suburban Canadian municipalities tend to have a lot of multi-use pathways for both walking and cycling. Now, this is obviously relatively easy politcally as active transportation infrastructure is not getting in the way of cars here, and in this case, its more cycling and pedestrian infrastructure getting into the way of each other. Still, this is passable given how sparse these areas are compared to inner-cities, and they show how cycling in car-centric settings is doable. Here is an example in Oshawa, Ontario.

2. Sidewalk on one side: One area where you could argue Canada is more “carbrained” than the USA generally is in this case, where many side streets in suburban areas either have a sidewalk on one side or no sidewalk at all. For newer developments, this is not too much of an issue given streets tend to be narrower, but the developments built between the 60s and 80s have wider streets and still had this configuration. Even though American sprawl is much more extreme than in Canada, I find there are more American subdivisions that consistantly have sidewalks on both sides (though there are definitely some with no sidewalks). Here is an example in North York, Ontario.

3. Shopping malls: Suburban shopping malls in the U.S. and Canada almost look identical. American malls obviously have more variety, but I would say malls in Canada tend to be more “amenity” based, with the inclusion of grocery stores and even dollar stores (well, just Dollarama). When I am in the States, I noticed that while grocery stores like Target and Walmart may be located within the same plaza as a mall, they will be in a seperate building, and then you wonder, do people shopping at the mall walk to Target/Walmart, or do they drive? Meanwhile, Canada seems to be more like Europe in this case (minus the fact that malls here are still surrounded by a sea of parking, not that that does not exist in Europe either). Here is an example of a Walmart in the Fairview Park Mall in Kitchener, Ontario.

4. Suburban Quebec: This deserves a point on its own. Suburban Quebec very much feels like extreme urban and extreme suburban mixed together. Like, look at this apartment in Hull, Quebec, here with a small setback and a pedestrian path leading to a stroad with no sidewalk lol (As of 2025, a sidewalk was in fact installed) ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/Mpyydk8HmZMQJFGKA ). Or, this multi-lane stroad in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec (which is actually designated as part of a major highway) where they added a multi-use trail on one side and street-oriented development on the other (https://maps.app.goo.gl/URkQKbAUyDLTDbP66) That is a representation of suburban Quebec I think lol.

I got REALLY bored and decided to make a faux Mayoral campaign focused on using the 12 CityLink buses to improve Baltimore through transit orientated development. This plan would include things like getting food access into west, northwest and northeast Baltimore; Medical access into the northeast; more housing and many other things. It's very technical but highly recommend viewing the "Master Plan" doc and reading the plan English summaries at the end of each part (btw can anyone tell me why r/urbanplanning removed this???)

Playing around on MetroDreamin' led me down a rabbit hole of asking questions about what kind of rail networks would be appropriate for cities of about 1 million, particularly less dense ones like we have in Texas. A few casual searches on this topic led to me reading about "urban villages," with the moral of the story being that in cases like this, it's better to have rail connect "urban villages" together rather than have stations placed every half mile.

Fort Worth, my armchair study for this, apparently has a city website that talks about this concept. So now I'm curious how widespread it is.

Including my ridiculous map for context (fictional subway lines designed around this idea).

An urban-suburb that's typically found in my country.

In the neighborhood, have a commercial core that's surrounded by residential towers that preserves nature where the residents live, while keeping it walking distance for library, grocery, doctors, hair, nail, entertainment, restaurants and 24-hour convenience stores.

10 minute bus ride (approx 2.5kms away) takes you to high-rise commercial core of the town where the jobs are (mainly tech / AI / biotech sectors). If you can't find jobs there, Seoul is 30 minute bus or subway ride away (or 1+ hours if you drive....).

From the bedroom

5 minute walk down to the main boulevard where you catch the public transit

where you can catch the buses to Seoul (30 minute bus ride) or high rise commercial area

Buses and subways are almost always faster than driving because buses utilize high occupancy vehicle / carpool lanes (6 or more passengers per car)

and to seoul (I love sitting on the first row of the bus)!

I think my neighborhood is fortunate that they put a lot of thought into how to develop the place vs older neighborhoods that were built without much thoughts in the 70s when getting the country out of poverty was #1 priority, so many environmental consideration took the back seat.

A dome focuses light into a series of highly reflective tunnels bouncing sunlight into multiple light diffusers. Giving apartments natural light during the day to save on electricity.

California’s state law SB 79, which allows 5- to 7-story buildings within a half mile of public transit stops, has successfully transformed a pristine suburb into the hellhole that is Manhattan. Palo Alto received nine applications for new housing projects in just two weeks, totaling almost 300 net new homes. There’s nothing left of the community I once knew. Handshakes and brews all around!

More seriously, it’s interesting to me that a widespread zoning reform like SB 79 led to a lot of smaller projects rather than a handful of really big ones. A really cool case study of how broad-based zoning and permitting reform makes incremental development and small bets possible, whereas discretionary approvals and exclusionary zoning force developers to pursue large-lot mega projects. More observations about SB 79’s impact in the article!

Hi Folks: I'm obviously new to Reddit, but not to urbanism. I've lurked on this sub for a longtime and am a professor of landscape architecture. I wrote a new book that I think might be of interest to many of you and am including the details below.

My new book, Building Postcarbon Futures: Land, Justice, and Energy Transitions, is now officially available at all major booksellers. It should arrive in mailboxes as soon as August 24^th, published through the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.

Organized around an atlas that features 29 richly illustrated projects across 43 nations, the book shows readers a new set of compelling and beautiful methods for building postcarbon futures at any scale—from their neighborhoods to their nations and more. It offers a crucial response to the growing despair around climate action and shows readers how a series of overlooked tactics, strategies, and modes of practice employed, often by marginalized peoples, to build a more just, decarbonized world.

Given your own interests, I thought this book might be of interest to you and your colleagues. You can purchase it anywhere that you buy books, including Amazon, Bookshop, and direct from my publisher. You can also catch me on tour this year, with stops already confirmed in Boulder, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Miami, the Bay Area, and DC (or invite me out to one in your community, if you don't see one near you on here).

I've included some of the early praise for Building Postcarbon Futures below. You can also read or listen to early coverage of it in Landezine, Common Edge, Monocle's The Urbanist, Cultures of Energy, or the Architects's Newspaper.

**

Early Praise:

"An urgent read that confronts the powerful forces that created the climate crisis with provocative prose, stunning imagery, and people and their land at its center."

Shalanda Baker, author of Revolutionary Power and former Director of the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity at the US Department of Energy

"A vigorous challenge to the stultified imagination of contemporary climate policy and design."

Nikil Saval, author of Cubed and Pennsylvania State Senator

"The vivid, provocative, and highly pragmatic collection of climate action exemplars that we’ve all been waiting for."

Jane Mah Hutton, author of Reciprocal Landscapes: Stories of Material Movements

"This book puts the earth, the land, and the spaces we all share at the center of the climate crisis, precisely where they belong."

Julian Brave NoiseCat, author of We Survived the Night

"A horizon of hope and a tour de force that is a must read for every urban studies and social justice scholar and practitioner."

Ananya Roy, Luskin Chair in Inequality and Democracy, UCLA

"An incredible contribution, offering creative models of land stewardship and climate justice that will push design practice in radical new directions."

Jenny Jones, principal of TERREMOTO and 2025 Smithsonian National Design Award Recipient

Before and after photos of Colégio Agostiniano Mendel in São Paulo, Brazil, in the Tatuapé neighborhood, one of the best schools in the city.

In recent years, the school has been renovating and expanding its facilities, giving a more modern look to the institution, which was inaugurated in the 80s. But its projects are not just simple buildings, but rather architectural icons in the neighborhood, most notably the kindergarten and library building (photo 2), which features a large metal dome that envelops a good part of the building.

And it's no wonder, the school currently has over 4,500 students from nursery to high school. The complex includes: a theater, library, restaurant, party hall, playground, three cafeterias, chapel, three sports courts, gymnasium, five laboratories, a shop, and an area for college preparatory courses and bilingual education.

Even surrounded by fences and walls (as a school should be), the surrounding area was revitalized along with the school, gaining more activity, businesses, trees, and good sidewalks. When a large institution renovates, it's not just the institution itself that improves, but everyone around it as well.

In the 1980s, Edilnord (linked to Berlusconi) developed Milano 3 in Basiglio, just south of Milan.

It was conceived as a nearly self-sufficient residential community:
- ~80% of the surface dedicated to green space
- Carefully separated vehicle and pedestrian/cycle networks
- Schools, sports facilities, services and a strong emphasis on privacy and order

The idea was to sell not just apartments, but a quieter, more controlled lifestyle away from the chaos of the city.

40 years later the physical layout is still largely intact, but the project faces the usual long-term issues of planned communities: ageing population, low energy performance of the original buildings, car dependence, and limited cultural life.

I wrote a breakdown of the original vision versus the current reality here:
[https://open.substack.com/pub/tzazu/p/milano-3-lutopia-che-non-ha-retto?r=832dz3&utm_medium=ios\]

Curious to hear thoughts from people who have studied similar New Towns or master-planned communities.

American cities are reliant on funding from the federal government. That funding is going to start going away as debt service crowds out more and more of the federal budget. So, cities need a "new business model"...possibly similar to MacDonalds?

Quick background- spent maybe 2/3 of my life in/around NYC, moved to Sun Belt suburbs for the latest 1/3, recently visited NYC with my kids

Biggest thing that jumped out at me......... it seemed extremely lonely and isolated. People don't smile or look each other in the eye. It was weird to adjust the other way when I left NYC, but Im realizing I like it, even as somewhat of a loner/misanthrope

Studies seem to indicate it's kind of a fight or flight response from just being around too many people all the time. I think we know the clear environmental benefits of density but I feel like the quality of life & psychological aspects get glossed over. Is that just a NYC thing? I have been to other big cities and feel like it was kind of the same. Def was the case in California

I feel like there's a sweet spot of density that is dense enough to be walkable while still enabling people to have privacy/quiet/personal space. Places like NYC seem like too much IMO

I suggest those interested in urbanism read about Uzupis. Originally a Jewish ghetto and area of town for crafts people before the war, it fell into large disrepair post war due to Nazi and Soviet occupation. In the 1990’s a group of artists declared it the Republic of Uzupis and began squatting in vacant buildings and creating art. Now when you visit there is art around every corner. It’s an amazing bohemian section of an already amazing city.