UrbanPointofView was born from a passion for urbanism at the intersection of the public and private realms—by living, experiencing, and witnessing the evolving and complex urban landscapes of Seattle and exemplary venues worldwide.

As an attorney, university teacher, writer, and photographer, my goal is to integrate many facets of my life to provide global examples and successes from urban lessons learned.

On a regular basis, UPOV features articles with cutting edge perspectives from urban thought leaders in the United States and abroad.

Peter Calthorpe recently released a new book, Urbanism in the Age of Climate Change. In his book, Calthorpe discusses the ways in which regionally scaled urbanism and green technology can be combined to create the types of integrated land use, environmental, and energy policies that will be necessary over the next fifty years.

Urbanism in the Age of Climate Change

Solutions to the Climate Change challenge are often framed as lists of new, green technologies. Calthorpe argues that without a more urban lifestyle in the United States, renewable technologies will have difficulty keeping up with exploding demand. He offers an integrated approach, combining more compact patterns of growth with conservation and new technology. While “cities are green” is becoming a common refrain, Calthorpe explains that a more comprehensive understanding of urbanism at the regional scale provides a better platform to address climate change challenges.

From time to time, UPOV also highlights our own collaborations and comparisons.

The Elusive Reality of “Placemaking”

Experience, knowledge, and good intentions notwithstanding, can urbanists always know the purpose of a place?

Our sibling site, myurbanist, recently remembered Ada Louise Huxtable’s insights into the challenges of authenticity for urban placemakers.

Chuck Wolfe is a frequent local and national speaker on prominent urbanism, sustainability, environmental and land use topics.