On the Miami link: I think the conclusion that "density doesn't always make good communities" is absolutely wrong.

Nothing he describes in that link has anything to do with density - rather, he is talking about urban design. The 'Jane Jacobs' density, evocative of Greenwich Village, is actually denser than that neighborhood in Miami.

by Alex B. on May 22, 2012 9:13 am • link • report

Alex B. - Preach.

The base thing makes sense. As bases become consolidated through BRAC and such the base needs to become denser and use land more economically to preserve the training areas. Reading the article confirmed that. Plus when you add the extra time it takes to get in and out of the base b/c of security then you want to mitigate that eliminating extra trips.

Plus, I visited Fort Belvoir last year with a friend and was impressed with the design of their living areas. A lot of things celebrated by CNU and the like.

by X on May 22, 2012 9:29 am • link • report

I don't know that "high-quality service where it can, rather than low-quality service everywhere" is an apt assessment of the Broward County article. What that phrase suggests is that the county abandoned a diffuse network for a centralized one, while the article suggests almost the opposite: Broward is more successful with a system that uses a grid than one focused on dense job clusters.

by Lucre on May 22, 2012 9:32 am • link • report

@ Miami,

No matter what the anti-urban crowd says, smart growth was never about forcing people into boxes stacked into towers. The Village succeeds where Miami fails because the focus was always on building community, maintaining a diverse variety of retail, providing an assortment of housing options to support many socio-economic levels and having a myraid of transportation options.

In an optimal urban community, your "home" exists beyond your four walls. It's clear that in this neighborhood in Miami, that is not the case.

by cmc on May 22, 2012 9:32 am • link • report

@cmc

That's fine - but I can't let this misdiagnosis of the problem slide. Density isn't at fault here.

by Alex B. on May 22, 2012 9:38 am • link • report

WRT Gray. I don't believe the charging documents indicate "who" Gore paid. I think it's more appropriate to say that the documents alleged that payments were made to someone whom we assume is Suilamon Brown.

Either way, it doesn't look good, make much sense, and wonder why Brown never mentioned receiving money from Gore.

by HogWash on May 22, 2012 9:43 am • link • report

@Lucre

"high-quality service where it can, rather than low-quality service everywhere" means providing high-quality service along certain corridors, rather than diffuse service all over the place.

A grid system and a centralized rim-to-core model can both fall under either diffuse or concentrated service patterns depending on how you portion out service.

A grid system does not mean "diffuse" service - it can mean high-frequency service along arterials arranged in a grid.

by MLD on May 22, 2012 9:46 am • link • report

@HogWash, most conjecture has been that Gore will admit that he put together the funds, but that someone else acted as bagman. Assuming that Sulaimon Brown was indeed the recipient and if Gore's story jibes with Brown's, that would probably be Howard Brooks and/or Lorraine Green.

by cminus on May 22, 2012 9:55 am • link • report

If one of the primary purposes of Street Sense is to give homeless individuals an occupation, why do I sometimes see 20 somethings who are clearly not homeless selling the paper?

Re: Miami: I think the key observation from that post was the seven floors of parking in his building. You're not going to get a lively walkable neighborhood if you're designing buildings to appeal to people who want to drive everywhere. That's not a fault of density, it's a fault of planning.

by TM on May 22, 2012 10:03 am • link • report

@Cminus, thanks!

This is about to get even crazier.

But I don't get why this isn't easy to find out. If Gore bought the money orders, gave them to Brooks (I don't believe Brown has accused Green), who then gave them to Brown, the serial numbers should easily match up w/those Brown turned over...even though Gore used a fake name.

All in all, it's just dumb. All this crap could not possibly have been worth the $535!!!!!!

by HogWash on May 22, 2012 10:13 am • link • report

If one of the primary purposes of Street Sense is to give homeless individuals an occupation, why do I sometimes see 20 somethings who are clearly not homeless selling the paper?

I don't believe you can really can tell if a 20 something yr old is really homeless. Most of those who sell (at least in the Golden Triangle) don't "look" homeless. But keep in mind that advocates for the homeless sell papers too.

by HogWash on May 22, 2012 10:16 am • link • report

It would be interesting to overlay the murder map with vehicular deaths in DC over the same period of time.

by Tyler on May 22, 2012 10:24 am • link • report

It's pretty much a given in DC too that people living in larger buildings have less sense of community than smaller buildings. People often pick a controlled-access building for the same reason they choose a gated community, which I think is a more apt analogy.

by Tom Coumaris on May 22, 2012 10:26 am • link • report

Pressure from Richmond & Loudoun continues to bear fruit for Virginia's taxpayers...first the FED report of over-spending, no bid contracts and extravagant wine parties and now more evidence the Airport Board is feeling the heat on the Silver Line. Thankfully, the WASHINGTON EXAMINER is probing deep:

http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/transportation/2012/05/virginia-maryland-workers-split-dulles-rail-jobs/638296

by Pelham1861 on May 22, 2012 10:37 am • link • report

Arlington County made the same mistakes as Miami in Rosslyn. They learned from their mistakes when they planned Ballston, Clarendon, and Courthouse.

by Ben Ross on May 22, 2012 10:44 am • link • report

@Hogwash Ah, that explains it. The people I'm thinking of definitely look like non-profit volunteers.

@Tom As much as I love a good old fashion gated-community bashing, I don't think the analogy is apt here. Look at NYC doorman co-ops. There is definitely a sense of community in those buildings. Maybe it's because it's a doorman and not a FOB key and an indifferent employee manning a desk. I don't know. I think you're right, though, that size has something to do with it. I'd suggest turnover rate does as well. But I don't think it can be blamed on the residents themselves and an assumption that they're too security minded.

by TM on May 22, 2012 10:56 am • link • report

Sprawly bases: i heard the top doc for the DOD give a talk recently about the affects of the obesity epidemic on the military including mission readiness and healthcare costs. I didn't read the link but from what I heard at the the talk, making bases more walkable is part of the plan to intervene.

by Tina on May 22, 2012 11:05 am • link • report

So the question is, how do you make large apartment and condo buildings more community friendly? rooftop decks with bbqs and pools? multiple entrances? street facing retail on the first floor? no parking minimums?

by cmc on May 22, 2012 11:09 am • link • report

Ive known coop buildings in NYC with intense community. Some modernist buildings. Its not only about design, 3rd places etc. Its also about tenure and culture. People who are commited to somewhere long term will have a stake someone who is looking to move soon won't. That makes renters often less committed than owners (but non-market rate renters sometimes more committed) and sometimes coop owners with less liquid investments more commited than condo owners. And older folks often more committed than 20 somethings, though 20somethings who have pioneered an area more committed than second wave gentrifiers. And it will depend on local community orgs, etc.

Sometimes these things will mask each other - if folks moving to apt (or even condos) are 20somethings, and 2nd generation gentrifiers, its likely they will be less committeed than 40 something pioneers - but not necessarily because they live in taller buildings.

by ExNYer on May 22, 2012 11:19 am • link • report

The Miami article seems to make a lot of great points.

Though the claim Brickell is the densest neighborhood south of NYC is a strange one. Its population density is nearly identical to that of Columbia Heights, Logan Circle or Adams Morgan as well as a number of neighborhoods in Philadelphia, most notably Rittenhouse/Washington Square West and some census tract clusters in South Philly. I'd be interesting to know the methodology for arriving at the claim of "densest neighborhood".

by Scoot on May 22, 2012 11:28 am • link • report

@Scoot
Perhaps units per acre?

by OctaviusIII on May 22, 2012 1:00 pm • link • report