Tactical Urbanism

Chuck Wolfe summarizes a major tenet of his new book and suggests we risk ignoring the back story of urban forms and functions by failing to truly understand the traditional relationships between people and place.

May 5, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Matt Tomasulo's proposal for an urban beach on the site of a vacant lot in Raleigh has gained a following, and sparked a conversation over the future of the site, demonstrating the power of an attractive idea, a compelling rendering and the Internet.

April 30, 2013 - The Architect's Newspaper Blog

This weekend, Bogota, Colombia will launch its second 100en1día (100 in 1 day) event, a blitz of urban interventions meant to multiply the impact of citywide citizen activism exponentially. Cities across the world are following their lead.

April 26, 2013 - This Big City

Realizing that overly controlled environments rarely breed the kind of innovation and culture that make cities great, Scott Doyon gets down with the funky and unpredictable.

April 3, 2013 - PlaceShakers

Are you a Place-Maker or a Place-Shaker? Check out Scott Doyon's post for a look at where to draw the line. Spoiler alert: It's all about the politics.

February 26, 2013 - PlaceShakers

At the CNU-FL statewide meeting held last week, Andrés Duany articulated his vision for how planning must adapt to the new realities of "national impoverishment" and climate change by utilizing the tools of tactical urbanism, writes Erin Chantry.

January 28, 2013 - Helm of the Public Realm

Like a lot of people, Placeshakers is kicking off the new year with a list: placemaking wishes for 2013. Read on for seven trending ideas they hope break large.

January 4, 2013 - PlaceShakers

From guerrilla wayfinding to future-tising, these are my top five, perhaps lesser known, highlights of a banner year for Tactical Urbanism.

December 30, 2012 - Mike Lydon

Historian Daniel London argues that by "excavating a 'usable past'" urbanists can find relevant, cutting edge ideas for solving the seemingly unprecedented challenges of global urbanization.

October 16, 2012 - The Global Urbanist

Alex Steffen, a "leading voice in planetary futurism," muses on what he believes could be a way to move beyond NIMBYism and incremental urban planning, to provide an antidote to fundamentally broken city governance.

October 2, 2012 - Planetary Thinking

Last Friday was annual PARK(ing) Day, and for Howard Blackson, who participated in a pilot park(let) project in San Diego, the reasons to enable context appropriate civic space was underscored again.

September 25, 2012 - PlaceShakers

One of the highlights of the global architectural calendar, the Biennale is a place to share and discuss the big ideas impacting the field. For this year's U.S. Pavilion, curators are going small by showcasing 124 projects by self-empowered citizens.

August 24, 2012 - Art Info

The wild success of a "pop-up urban intervention” transforming Toronto's Yonge Street has Christopher Hume and the city's residents excited about the ability of small moves to have a big impact.

August 21, 2012 - Toronto Star

Young activists Emaleigh and Ainé Doley take matters into their own hands to clean up their neighborhood street in run-down Germantown.

June 29, 2012 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Mike Lydon discusses "tactical urbanism," a DIY approach to planning that is sweeping the nation, and explains how communities are making lasting impacts at the grassroots level.

June 23, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

In his "Dream City" column, Will Doig looks at the attributes making tactical urbanism the hot revitalization trend for municipal authorities across the country.

June 18, 2012 - Salon.com

On Wednesday, Mayor Rahm Emanuel kicked-off Chicago's “Make Way for People” program, an effort to "promote economic development and make Chicago streets safer for pedestrians," by transforming the city's paved surfaces into people places.

June 7, 2012 - Chicago Sun-Times

Public libraries across America are threatened by reduced staffing, resources, and hours due to budget cuts. However, "little libraries" are popping up in communities across the country as urbanists seek to redefine public space and librarianship.

June 2, 2012 - Places

Scott Doyon argues that getting the next generation of collaborators involved in community improvement efforts will require more than simply using the tools of social media - it will require connecting with what people are passionate about.

May 18, 2012 - PlaceShakers

Kelly Chan explores how temporary architecture is changing our relationship to the built environment, and asks "how permanent is our current fascination for the temporary?"

May 12, 2012 - Art Info