Red Friday

Author: Steve Mouzon
Outlet: Original Green
Published: November 25, 2017
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Steve Mouzon comments on the conspicuously-empty parking lots at malls and shopping centers during last week’s annual Black Friday event, looking for signs of the “Fall of Sprawl.”

While the final accounting is not yet in, he predicts, “most retailers will still be firmly in the red, many with little hope of turning a profit at all this year, making this the first Red Friday in America. The crash might come more quickly than anyone ever thought.”

“Fortunately, New Urbanists led by Galina Tachieva, Ellen Dunham-Jones, and June Williamson have responded to the alarm bells rung by Charles and Joe by crafting a suite of solutions now known as Sprawl Retrofit that can help transform forward-looking sprawling suburbs with courage and political will into vibrant and sustainable places with high Walk Appeal and a diverse collection of local businesses to serve them.”

National Association of Real Estate Editors Announces Bruss Book Award Winners

Author: Staff
Outlet: National Association of Real Estate Editors
Published: June 17, 2011
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SAN ANTONIO, TX (June 17, 2011) – The National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE) has named the 2011 winners of the Robert Bruss Real Estate Book Awards, recognizing excellence in recently published works.
Winning the first place Gold Award in the competition is: Sheri Koones for “Prefabulous + Sustainable,” published by Abrams. NAREE Book Competition Head Judge Allen Norwood commented: “Authoritative and beautiful. Once again, Koones builds her case for pre-fab thoroughly, and presents it in a compelling, well organized package.”
Winning the Silver Award was Galina Tachieva for “The Sprawl Repair Manual” published by Island Press. NAREE Book Competition Head Judge Allen Norwood commented: “Filled with interesting and innovative case studies.”
Winning the Bronze Award is Ben Kinney with Jay Papasan for “Soci@l” published by Rellek Publishing Partners, Ltd. NAREE Book Competition Head Judge Allen Norwood commented: “One of the most timely — and helpful — examinations of the media transforming real estate. Belongs on every agent’s desk.”
NAREE’s First-Time Author Award winner is Gregory Zuckerman for “The Greatest Trade Ever” published by Crown Business. NAREE Book Competition Head Judge Allen Norwood commented: “Detailed account – from perspective of one of the most important periods in the nation’s financial history and reads like a compelling novel.”
Allen Norwood, a freelance editor of HGTV online, retired Homes Editor, Charlotte Observer, and past NAREE vice president judged the competition along with Judith Stark, freelance editor and writer, retired real estate and homes editor for the St. Petersburg Times and NAREE past president; and Byron Koste, executive director emeritus for the University of Colorado Real Estate Center.

Is urbanism the key to a sustainable future?

Author: Galina Tachieva
Outlet: Traditional Building
Published: February 15, 2010
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For more than two decades the work of our firm, Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company (DPZ), has gained renown as a counter-proposal to suburban sprawl. While recognized for an emphasis on place making and for outperforming conventional suburbia, DPZ’s urbanism is less known for advancing the principles and techniques of sustainable planning. Beginning with Seaside in the early ’80s, DPZ employed green practices long before they were required by legislation or were fashionable in the media, including light infrastructure and innovative storm water-management. More complex environmental projects eventually followed – regional plans, urban infill and suburban redevelopments.

The pair of aerials demonstrates the transformation of a conventional strip shopping center into a mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly town center that will serve the surrounding suburban communities. The existing big boxes and drive-through restaurants are embedded in fine-grain fabric of urban blocks, centered on a new square.

Recently, another tier of work has evolved that offers a more explicit range of advanced environmental tools. Operating within the urban-to-rural transect, these projects have generated a menu of measures that address energy and water conservation, as well as coding techniques for successful implementation. In the spirit of this pursuit of sustainability and acknowledging the current economic, social and environmental challenges, the office has been pursuing several initiatives, among which sprawl repair perhaps stands out as one of the most urgent, and is the subject of our new publication, The Sprawl Repair Manual.