The Housing Chronicles Blog: 3/1/16 - 4/1/16

Monday, March 7, 2016

March column for Builder & Developer magazine now online

My column for the March 2016 issue of Builder and Developer magazine is now posted online.

For this issue, entitled ""The Challenges of Creating Authentic Communities," I wanted to discuss how builders, developers, architects and land planners create something from nothing yet still strive to make it seem like an authentic part of the community.  Fortunately, I got to interview Randal Jackson from PlaceWorks on this issue:

An excerpt:

According to industry veteran Randal Jackson, president of PlaceWorks (a leading planning, design and environmental firm based in California), and Chair of the Orange County/Inland Empire chapter of ULI, potential problems often start with a market study which calls for great specificity in product design, yet fails to consider neighborhood character and fit...

Explains Jackson, “When we work on a project, we take a lot of time upfront to understand the surroundings, and instead of separating them out, we inventory those things which create a great community.” This inventory usually includes looking out three to four miles from the subject site to identify the parks, schools and shopping centers serving the area. Jackson calls this “being a partner to the community,” and within a mile radius, the inventory gets even more detailed, focusing more on the primary gathering areas, whether it’s a church, a pub a restaurant or even a museum...

To read the entire column, click here.

To read the entire March 2016 issue in digital format, click here.