ROUND
ABOUT MIDNIGHT
Winding down a 14-hour workday.
Lengthened
by two hours of pre-dawn exercise.
Coming home
to Art Nouveau splendor in 9th arrondissement.
The next
day, a Universal Design roving workshop with the goal of visiting all 20
arrondissements, via walking no transit or car travel, within daylight hours of
one day.
OLD-FASHIONED COMPACT, CONVENIENT, MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT FOR A MODERN, POST PANDEMIC, WALKABLE WORLD
“Milan or
New York, for example are already widening sidewalks, pedestrianizing streets
and increasing bike lanes,” Cristina Garrido said, noting that Barcelona has
converted parking lots into civic space.
“The pandemic has accelerated a change that had to be done if we wanted our cities to be sustainable in a mid/long term.
From now on, cities will be more people-centered, and they will have more public spaces allocated for people.”
OLD-FASHIONED COMPACT, CONVENIENT, MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT FOR A MODERN, POST PANDEMIC, WALKABLE WORLD
Cristina Garrido -- Director of Innovation for CitiesToBe, an urban platform powered by Barcelona-based Smart Cities Consultant anteverti –
OLD-FASHIONED COMPACT, CONVENIENT, MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT FOR A MODERN, POST PANDEMIC, WALKABLE WORLD
“The current
gold standard for this with small-scale development is Portland, Oregon, which
passed its residential infill program (RIP) last fall,” said Strong Towns
Senior Editor Daniel Herriges.
found that significant affordability benefits would be achieved by the policy the city ended up passing, which provides a sliding scale of allowed FAR for buildings between four and six units -- if they provide rent-reduced affordable units.”
OLD-FASHIONED COMPACT, CONVENIENT, MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT FOR A MODERN, POST PANDEMIC, WALKABLE WORLD
Strong Towns
is a nonprofit focused on strengthening the urban core while eliminating
budget-busting sprawl development.
is that of
building density or floor area ratio (FAR) bonuses into the zoning code
specifically for affordable units,” Senior Editor Daniel Herriges said.
OLD-FASHIONED COMPACT, CONVENIENT, MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT FOR A MODERN, POST PANDEMIC, WALKABLE WORLD
Strong Towns Senior Editor Daniel Herriges emphasizes that the 15-minute neighborhood saves cities the high cost of maintaining sprawl.
“It's important to remember that the cost premium for compact, mixed-use neighborhoods is largely a function of artificial scarcity, he said.
“Fifteen-minute
neighborhoods, and the kinds of housing that work well in them, are not
expensive to create or maintain.
They often
have high real-estate values only because they are very popular and we haven't
built enough of them in the last few decades.
OLD-FASHIONED COMPACT, CONVENIENT, MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT FOR A MODERN, POST PANDEMIC, WALKABLE WORLD
We also regularly partner with community organizations on local hiring and public art installations,” David Lombino said.
“We take
accessibility very seriously at Two Trees -- all of our buildings are ADA
compliant and the vision behind the construction of Domino Park was to create
an inclusive, accessible open space for all.”
OLD-FASHIONED COMPACT, CONVENIENT, MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT FOR A MODERN, POST PANDEMIC, WALKABLE WORLD
David Lombino
said Two Trees’ philosophy of diverse community building includes supporting
local businesses, artists and community groups.
“We make a
concerted effort to curate small businesses that suit neighborhood needs and
make an intentional decision to not rent to chains that can pay top dollar.
OLD-FASHIONED COMPACT, CONVENIENT, MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT FOR A MODERN, POST PANDEMIC, WALKABLE WORLD
“Two Trees has generated approximately 400 high-quality affordable housing units in Brooklyn and Manhattan.
We have an
additional 500 affordable units in the pipeline at our Domino Sugar Factory
redevelopment site, and another 260 proposed units at River Ring, a new project,”
David Lombino, Principal at Two Trees, said –
noting that
low-income units are identical to market-rate apartments, have access to all
amenities and do not have separate entrances (a controversial feature in other
developers’ projects.)
OLD-FASHIONED COMPACT, CONVENIENT, MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT FOR A MODERN, POST PANDEMIC, WALKABLE WORLD
“More recently, Domino Park has served as a critical place for New Yorkers throughout the pandemic with painted circles that encourage social distancing on the lawn, which received international recognition and became a replicable model for parks around the world,” David Lombino, Principal at Two Trees, added.
Two Trees -- which has developed a portfolio worth more than $4 billion, including more than 2,000 apartments – agrees that the 15-minute neighborhood must include affordable housing.
OLD-FASHIONED COMPACT, CONVENIENT, MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT FOR A MODERN, POST PANDEMIC, WALKABLE WORLD
Founded in 1968, Two Trees is best-known for transforming an aging waterfront warehouse district into the DUMBO arts and tech hub in Brooklyn.
“Domino Park along the Brooklyn waterfront in Williamsburg, which Two Trees financed, constructed and operates, embodies this type of approach.
In designing the six-acre
waterfront park, we held dozens of community-based meetings and feedback
sessions so we could understand what the local community wanted in a new public
space,” Lombino said.
OLD-FASHIONED COMPACT, CONVENIENT, MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT FOR A MODERN, POST PANDEMIC, WALKABLE WORLD
To create a truly authentic place, you have to involve the community to gather input on what they need and want for the health and longevity of their neighborhood,” said David Lombino, Principal at Two Trees.
“We’ve
worked to keep the human experience at the forefront of our work, always
thinking about the social power of the built environment.”
OLD-FASHIONED COMPACT, CONVENIENT, MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT FOR A MODERN, POST PANDEMIC, WALKABLE WORLD
From a developer’s standpoint, the 15-minute city makes sense to Two Trees, a Brooklyn-based, family-owned real estate development firm.
“The secret
of placemaking is understanding what the local community values and how we can
help infuse those values into the neighborhood and be real partners to our
neighbors,” said David Lombino, Principal at Two Trees.
OLD-FASHIONED COMPACT, CONVENIENT, MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT FOR A MODERN, POST PANDEMIC, WALKABLE WORLD
REALTORS in Louisiana are working with key stakeholders to support complete streets and access for all.
Morris said
revitalization replaces blight and allows stores to stay open later – improving
business revenue – because people feel safe on the street.
The
statewide association also received NAR grant support to create a tool kit for
building better, especially in coastal areas to adapt to climate change.
OLD-FASHIONED COMPACT, CONVENIENT, MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT FOR A MODERN, POST PANDEMIC, WALKABLE WORLD
“People want to walk to stores, shops and services,” Norman Morris, CEO of Louisiana REALTORS, said of the value of the 20-minute neighborhood.
“We target
an area that needs some revitalization and improve a 4- to 6-block area.
We clean up,
paint, fix up storefronts – we create an atmosphere, an environment where
(walking) can be done.
It creates
synergy, it enhances value of the corridor and the nearby residential.”
OLD-FASHIONED COMPACT, CONVENIENT, MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT FOR A MODERN, POST PANDEMIC, WALKABLE WORLD
Norman Morris, CEO of Louisiana REALTORS, is proud of the long partnership with CPEX and REALTOR associations in every region of the state:
OLD-FASHIONED COMPACT, CONVENIENT, MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT FOR A MODERN, POST PANDEMIC, WALKABLE WORLD
“NAR
provided a support grant to CPEX and all eight Louisiana executive districts
for REALTORS.
There were
tours and REALTORS doing workshops to unveil this model ordinances book to
mayors and planning commissions,” Camille Manning-Broome said.
“The ordinances
put in place decades ago prevent getting around a city in 20 minutes, so the
intent is to undo regulations that created suburban sprawl.”
OLD-FASHIONED COMPACT, CONVENIENT, MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT FOR A MODERN, POST PANDEMIC, WALKABLE WORLD
CPEX encourages development with more density and mixed use. It helps communities with land use analysis, changing land use patterns and rewriting zoning codes.
It helped
create the Louisiana land use tool kit, with model ordinances.
OLD-FASHIONED COMPACT, CONVENIENT, MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT FOR A MODERN, POST PANDEMIC, WALKABLE WORLD
Jeannette Dubinin said intersections are not designed for safe walking to run errands or to get exercise.
She said the
20-minute city must calm traffic and make it easier for people to get around by
bike, on foot and via wheelchair.
She said it
is counterintuitive to drive to a nearby park, but with dangerous design and
unsafe crosswalks, many people do.
OLD-FASHIONED COMPACT, CONVENIENT, MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT FOR A MODERN, POST PANDEMIC, WALKABLE WORLD
“People found sidewalks that end in the middle of something -- or sidewalks with curbs too high, or no ADA curb ramps, or trees and barriers in the way.
You can have all the sidewalks you want, if
they are not usable, they don’t work,” Jeannette Dubinin said.
