A Beginner's Guide to Urbanism
New in town? Here's where I'd start.
I always love coming across Twitter bios that use phrases like “accidental urbanist.”
It makes me, a 26-year-old suburban-dwelling business development coordinator, feel at home in the urbanism community.
But for those who stumble in by accident, it can be hard to navigate the waters at first. I’ve been there.
Your excitement likely outpaces your clarity, and certainly outpaces your lack of community. What should you read? What should you watch? Who should you meet?
I won’t claim to be an expert in urban planning or development, but I’ve spent the last five years climbing out of my own stumble-upon journey, and today’s newsletter is dedicated to pointing you toward some resources and communities that have helped me along the way.
Especially if you’re new in town, I hope they can do the same for you.
(One caveat for the more seasoned veterans reading this: There are dozens of books I could have included (and I encourage you to comment with your favorites below), but I’ve opted to include the few I found most helpful for a true beginner looking to get their bearings. I’ll be releasing a much more comprehensive resource in the coming months.)
Books
Strong Towns
Today’s giveaway is a copy of Strong Towns because the book was so influential in my own learning journey. The book’s author, Chuck Marohn, has been named one of the 10 most influential urbanists of all time, and for good reason.
For my money, there’s no book that will better set the context for the existential “why” of being an urbanist than Strong Towns. Other books will give you the nuts and bolts of specific topics and action items, but Strong Towns will provide you the foundation to build on as you grab other texts.
The Birth of a Building
I recommended Ben Stevens’ The Birth of a Building in another recent newsletter, but it deserves mention on this list because it really is the best nuts-and-bolts book on real estate development I’ve come across.
There are surely more comprehensive resources out there, but The Birth of a Building is the perfect starting point for any beginner. Every chapter is about 4-7 pages, and Stevens writes with beginner-friendly language that will catch you up to speed in a hurry.
Websites
Build a Better Burb
If you live in or are wanting to help transform suburbs, there are few resources that top the work of the Congress for the New Urbanism’s Build a Better Burb publication.
Whether you’re a developer, a government employee, an activist, or just a concerned citizen, there are subsections in the publication that cover just about anything you could imagine.
Strong Towns
Is it cheating to put Strong Towns on here twice? I wouldn’t if it wasn’t truly worthwhile.
The Strong Towns movement’s digital hub has hundreds of articles, multiple podcasts, as well as an Action Lab that will help you take meaningful steps in learning, networking, and advocating in your own community.
Planetizen
If you’re looking to stay up to date on urban planning news across the U.S., Planetizen is the best one-stop shop to do so. They also have an entire digital course library (with AICP credit available for those who need it) and a job board for those looking to step into the planning profession.
Digital Communities
Olmsted
Olmsted is a fledgling digital community that’s worth your time. There’s a Slack channel, where you can discuss urban design to your heart’s content, as well as a job board for those looking to make vocational moves.
Both are free to use, and the Slack community’s small enough that you’ll have no trouble connecting with some new friends.
Twitter Accounts
Here’s some of my personal favorite Twitter accounts that will help you get started and get inspired:
Ray Delahanty: https://twitter.com/Nerd4Cities
Coby Lefkowitz: https://twitter.com/Cobylefko
Nolan Gray: https://twitter.com/mnolangray
Jonathan Berk: https://twitter.com/berkie1
Chris and Melissa Bruntlett: https://twitter.com/modacitylife
Create Streets: https://twitter.com/createstreets
Queen Anne Greenways: https://twitter.com/QAGreenways
Additional Resources
Free Video Course: Building a Second Brain in Notion
If you’re like me, you love to collect great articles videos and podcasts to save for later. And then you never actually revisit them.
My friend Serj Hunt has put together a fantastic (free) 45-minute video course called “How to Build a Second Brain in Notion,” which will show you how to build a resource capture system in Notion (free and easy to use) that is action-based and will set you up well for learning.
Whether it’s urbanism reading or anything else, you’ll be set up well to go down any rabbit hole you choose.
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We’ll be building on these resources in the coming months, but I wanted to keep this list intentionally light. Sometimes we can get so consumed in curating resources that we fail to actually just jump into reading or listening to something. So get started, and we’ll have more for you soon.
Giveaway Winner!
As promised, this week we’re giving away a copy of Chuck Marohn’s acclaimed book “Strong Towns.”
And the winner is….
Hannah Eli!
Congratulations Hannah!
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Until next week.