Jeff Speck
@jeffspeck
Urban Planner, Partner in Speck Dempsey, author of Walkable City, Walkable City Rules, and other stuff I'd like you to read.
It's not about labels. It's a different approach to the problem of the too-big building. It can cost less to have multiple simple facades vs. one overwrought facade. Also, you're right that developers rarely hire multiple architects; they insist on demise lines from their one architect. Image:
However, in this case, it sounds like you have not read the piece you cite. Demise lines are about making overlarge buildings appear to be several smaller buildings, not about breaking up the massing. We like demise lines because we like flat facades, not jiggly ones. Here's the whole article.
Hey, DJ. You're right. That was 2018. When new evidence presents itself, we learn. Emily Talen and I have a book coming out next yer, The Planner's Pledge. Here is our current understanding of IZ.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Comparison #2 Please help contribute to this real dataset. Look at these two slides. Just take a wild guess as to the average home value on each street. Reply with two dollar amounts, Street 1 and Street 2. Your input matters. Thank you!
I got a great reception in Sacramento this week. It didn't hurt that I was following in the footsteps of @brenttoderian.bsky.social 's Downtown Livability Strategy! Check it out: www.downtownsac.org/wp-content/u...
My best dressed fans last night in #austin. @thewaroncars.bsky.social @parkingreform.org
ACTUAL RESEARCH: Comparison #2 (This is a new one.) Please help contribute to this real dataset. Look at these two slides. Just take a wild guess as to the average home value on each street. Reply with two dollar amounts, Street 1 and Street 2. Your input matters. Thank you!
Rule 101: Dream Big Cities like NYC & Chicago didn’t just fix problems—they dreamed big. Charleston’s mayor, Joseph Riley’s message was "No one recalls a balanced budget—build a park instead.” His parks now host 5M+ visitors yearly. Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...
Rule 100: Don't Give Up on Sprawl Instead of trying to end sprawl, focus on improving it for the people there by reviving town centers, reusing empty malls, & building mixed-use neighborhoods. This is called “Retrofitting Suburbia." Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...
Rule 99: Start Code Reform Now Form-based codes helps walkability by focusing on how spaces look & feel, not just what they’re used for. Start w/a 1 page zoning overlay to guide better development while planning long-term reforms. Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...
91: Save Those Buildings Preservation isn’t only about nostalgia, it also has practical benefits! - Historic districts thrive in recession & attract small businesses - It’s greener & less wasteful - They support diversity & community Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...
Rule 65: Provide Angle Parking Where Warranted Angled parking fits more cars without widening streets & calms traffic by requiring careful backing-in. Tucson switched to rear-angle parking & cut crashes from 1/week to 0 over 4 years. Walkable City Rules: www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...
Rule 98: Do Some Tactical Urbanism Start w/looking for temporary ways to improve your area, & call it a pilot project. Use "Walk [Your City]", which offers tools 4 guerilla wayfinding signs & ask to do tests instead of costly studies. Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...
Rule 97: Rebuild... or Restripe? In 2012 Cedar Rapids planned a $3M rebuild for 5 blocks, instead they repainted 30 blocks for the same price. Results: 78%↓ pedestrian crashes, 57 new businesses, 800 homes, 2k jobs & $282M growth Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...
Rule 96: A Network of Walkability Show which streets are best for walking, streets fall into 3 groups: Priority: Busy but unsafe, fix first Primary: Decent now, upgrade next Secondary: Low need now Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...
Rule 95: Do a Frontage Quality Assessment & Locate Anchors See where people want to walk & where they need to go. Frontage Quality: lively streets, where they want to walk Anchors: where they need to walk (key destinations ex: shops). Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...
Rule 93: Direct Your Public Art budget to Blank Walls Public art is often wasted on plaza sculptures. Cities should use art budgets for murals on blank walls, which, like trees, make streets more pleasant and welcoming. Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...
Rule 92: Hide the Parking Structures Exposed parking decks drain street life & make walking dull. It only takes 20 ft of building to hide 200 ft of parking. Hide parking structures behind buildings; design garages for future reuse. Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...
Rule 90: Break Up Big Buildings Big buildings can overwhelm a street, but “demise lines” breaks the facade conceptually into smaller units, helping the large buildings look like a collection of smaller structures built independently. Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...
Rule 89: Limit Repetition Big projects feel more human when split into smaller, unique buildings by different architects. Variety boosts walkability, beauty, & real estate value—plus 1 mistake affects 1 building not the whole project. Walkable City Rules: www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...
Rule 88: Make Sticky Edges Gehl’s Cities for People: “sticky edges”—buildings that make people linger—bring streets alive; blank walls repel. Hence, Melbourne mandates 60% openings for shops, 25% for homes, & a window/door every 10’. Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...
Rule 87: Don’t Let Terrorists Design Your City NYC spends $50M on terror bollards—but far less on crashes. Data shows you’re 568x likelier to die in a crash than terror—yet terror gets far more funding per victim. Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...
Rule 86: Use Lighting to Support Urbanism Lighting shapes space—auto-centric models use tall bright poles; urban ones emphasize attraction & character. Drop coverage rules—use low-energy, mid-height curb lights, creative flair & urban context. Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...
Rule 85: Build Vancouver Urbanism Vancouver, created a unique walkable, mixed-use downtown without freeways after a 1960s revolt. Limit tall buildings to the Vancouver model: broad, block-filling bases below towers w/small footprints. Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...