Urban designer David Green talks with Anthony Lyons, Director of the city of Gainesville's Community Redevelopment Agency, about his successes in the city and how other cities can become more livable.
Lyons emphasizes walkability and neighborhood scale in this Q&A from Fast Co. Design.
"David Green: We hear all the time that government is too cumbersome. ‘Simple innovation' sounds like it might be an answer. But now what? What are you doing to actually change Gainesville?
Anthony Lyons: First, we posed a simple question, "What kind of city do we want to be?" It sounds stupid, right? At some level it is actually more stupid than it sounds, but very few communities ask fundamental questions because their problems have already gotten so complex. For example, in a lot of cities you get planners asking questions like, "How can we shorten commutes?" But without knowing what you want to be, at the most basic level, it is impossible to know where to start."
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA)
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research