Dorian Moore, FAIA

I think you bring up a very important societal point; That being that we feel that we must always be entertained. This sees into the academic teaching world as well as any world where communication needs to happen. It’s a symptom of a problem, but the venue is not particularly the issue.

#Adaptivereuse pairs old and new to strengthen the future of our cities. Reusing existing buildings reduces waste, preserves character, and extends the life of valuable assets. And, create interesting, juxtapositions. The most resilient cities don’t erase their past, they build on it. #CityBuilding

Office-to-Residential Conversions Push Past 80,000 Units as the Pipeline Reaches a New High Office-to-residential conversions now exceed 80,000 units in the U.S. pipeline, as Propmodo’s expanding database tracks projects reshaping urban housing supply.

Office-to-residential conversions are rising across the U.S. & Canada. Developers refining models, cities offering incentives, lenders gaining confidence. Downtown change to be driven by hundreds of mid-scale building conversions in the hybrid work era.
propmodo.com/playbook/off...

In the next era of city building, retail success may depend more on fit than scale. Small, right-sized storefronts support local, diversify tenants, and create the amenity-filled environs that make urban districts thrive. I’ve studied it in cities from London to Shanghai.

#Thefutureofretailissmall

More mobility options don’t just cut congestion, they also free road space for those who need to drive. Cleaner and driverless vehicles help, but the bigger impact comes from land use.

How we plan communities shapes how much we drive, walk, bike, or ride.
#mobility #cities #planning #sprawl

Transit shapes where cities grow—and who can access opportunity. The systems that work are networks that connect, run frequently, and feel good to use. Success comes when transit aligns with zoning, land use, walkability, and supportive density. In the end, you get the transit your policies enable.

WHY SKETCH, WE HAVE COMPUTERS? In Episode 5 of our NEW YouTube channel, CITY BUILDERS, we take a deep dive into why sketching is important to us and to our city building process.

Please like, subscribe, comment, and as always….Walk The Streets!

youtu.be/hdor2ueM_Zo?...

Last year I successfully picked the winner of the Superbowl based on the city with the more compelling urban fabric. So, why not do it again? (Maybe because I’m 1-3 over the last four years?🤔).

What are our top 5 NFL stadiums?

Huddle up, grab a Walker, and watch this BONUS episode of CITY BUILDERS! Like, subscribe, comment, and as always….Walk The Streets!

youtu.be/PubjpsgPTkE?...

This brings up the issue of strategic planning. We go to extremes. Either an everything goes anywhere OR nothing goes anywhere approach. Plan for the appropriate locations for typologies to happen. The emphasis on mid rise avenues is one example. It’s challenging and it takes a lot of forethought.

3-story residential buildings are key city builders. At a scale that fits 2–2.5 story streets, they add dignified, affordable housing without disrupting neighborhood life. Context-friendly, and ideal for infill, this #mediumscalemediumdensity type has shaped great cities for generations.

Picked up my copy of Black Public Joy by colleague, @jaypitter.bsky.social . Looking forward to getting into this unique perspective on public space.

YouTube video by City Builders CB4 London: Travel Study of the Greatest City

youtube.com/watch?v=4bvO...

What is a ‘GUS’? In Episode 4 of our NEW YouTube channel, CITY BUILDERS, we discuss our process of studying cities, why we do it, and why London is one of the best places to study. It’s an intro to our most recent global urban study.

City Builders CityBuilders is a channel that celebrates the study, analysis, and documentation of cities. We’ve envisioned this channel as a method to connect with many like-minded, urban-oriented people in a more ...

In Ep 2 of our NEW YouTube channel, CITY BUILDERS, we dive into the beginnings of our firm, Archive DS, during a time when many businesses were abandoning Detroit. It’s a short but informative video.
CITY BUILDERS; like, subscribe, comment, and as always….Walk The Streets!

youtu.be/b3hvrz2py9U?...

YouTube video by City Builders CB1 Intro to City Builders Channel

Cities are top of mind,from housing to public space to civic process. After years of dialogue, Mark Nickita FAIA and I are taking it public with City Builders: a new YouTube channel & podcast on urban issues, global study, and documenting 500+ cities worldwide. Join us! 🎧🏙️ youtu.be/5FzkuPAWKGc

Sometimes it’s not a whole building that catches my eye, but just a portion of one. Sometimes just a detail.

This little corner entry column seemed very intriguing to me.

It brings a bit of gravitas to the entry experience.

Interest and inspiration can be found in the parts within the whole.

I’m always intrigued by doorways. Whenever I’m on a#globalurbanstudy tour I try to capture at least one in a photo. This one’s weathered nature stood out to me as symbolic of the nature of the city itself. An image can capture the spirit of a place/culture. Or, at least the memory of one. #ghent

The book is still being written on downtown office. Some returned with WFH, some hybrid, some fully back. Office-to-residential conversions create new conditions. Should downtowns be one of many neighborhoods in a polycentric city, or still our shared civic cores for the exchange of culture/ ideas?

Part of understanding what works (and doesn’t) in urbanism is going beyond simply noticing our environs to what I call knowticing them. Noticing is a glance. Knowticing takes time; walking a neighborhood, understanding it, empathizing with it, and respecting it in more than a passing way.

Black Public Joy by my colleague, @jaypitter.bsky.social, is out this week— an uplifting narrative amid the strain of civic systems & public spaces.

Toronto Life calls it an “instruction manual for joy.”

The book frames public joy as civic, cultural and spatial infrastructure. (link)

In many cities, corridors still hold remnants of a former urban condition: Mansions on main streetsBuilt in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many were later removed. They have clear massing, proportions, and detail, reminding us that adaptability and identity were once embedded in urban form.

The Grinnell Industrial Corridor. Master Planning on #detroit ‘s east side revealed its importance to me. The Art Moderne buildings may be worn/ vacant, but their entries, windows, and massing still speak. A working industrial base remains. It’s worth restoring before this history leaves us forever.

The Garden City Movement (1898) mixed town/country ideals influencing both great neighborhoods and problematic suburbs.I’ve been to and studied many of the exemplars. The lessons remain relevant. Some principles clash with density-first urbanism, others align with eco-thinking today.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The Grinnell Industrial Corridor. Master Planning on #detroit ‘s east side revealed its importance to me. The Art Moderne buildings may be worn/ vacant, but their entries, windows, and massing still speak. A working industrial base remains. It’s worth restoring before this history leaves us forever.

Visual complexity from spatial simplicity.

The oblique views and spatial richness generated by the grid in the #detroitinstituteofthearts atrium + the quality of light from the skylight and the framing of views make for varying degrees of soft/hard shadows.Spatial art w/i a museum container.

In global housing density debates, one typology is often overlooked: the apartment neighborhood. Detroit’s Palmer Park shows how #mediumscalemediumdensity apartment districts create complete communities with walkability & character, without towers or lost livability. Similar models exist worldwide.

World-Class American Transit Transportation for America's analysis shows U.S. transit falls far short of global peers and what it would take to close the gap

“TRANSIT NEEDS A MOONSHOT; an ambitious vision for world-class transit across the country …we would need to nearly triple the number of transit vehicles … available today.”

Strong transit systems boost businesses, new development, property values, and job growth.

t4america.org/resource/wor...

“#Wecantbuildthemlikethatanymore.”
3–5 storey mixed use/fully residential bldgs are the basic fabric of cities.
This #mediumscalemediumdensity type, especially when freed from onerous parking requirements, lets smaller developers/ institutions shape our neighborhoods and districts.

#citybuilding

Neighbourhood grocery markets: once relics, now crucial for walkable cities. Success requires right-sizing the business, smart marketing in our post-Covid retail world, and proper promotion. These anchors should be essential in every city-builder’s toolkit.

This is so true. I really became an Asimov fan when I was younger, mostly through the Foundation series, which I devoured in a matter of months. Great prose. It’s also the reason why Hemingway is probably my favorite author. At least of the American classic authors.