Category Archives: Urbanism and planning

ArchNewsNow in person

Posted on May 7, 2014 by David Brussat

My writing has appeared on the ArchNewsNow.com web site run by Kristen Richards, whom I had the pleasure of meeting in New York City last night. I invited her up to see my view. On the 41st floor of our … Continue reading →

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Massengale Square, Addis Ababa

Posted on May 1, 2014 by David Brussat

An inside joke, to be sure, but check this out and then ask whether local planners have stocked up on “Street Design” yet. A major intersection in the capital of Ethiopia.

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Column: Warren speaks truth to preservation

Posted on May 1, 2014 by David Brussat

Ocean State preservationists gathered on Saturday in Warren to celebrate pride in preservation, the theme of the 29th annual conference of the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission. It rained on their parade but not on Warren’s robust sense of … Continue reading →

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Blast past: A Warren warning

Posted on April 29, 2014 by David Brussat

During Saturday’s preservation conference in Warren, while listening to speaker Mark Fenton remind us that Warren fended off a Walgreens long ago, I was reminded of a column I wrote in 1997 about how the megadrugstore tried to plop one of its pug-uglies … Continue reading →

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My upcoming Jane’s Walk

Posted on April 27, 2014 by David Brussat

My first Jane’s Walk, one of seven in Providence May 2-4, takes place this coming Saturday. It is free and open to the public. Jane’s Walk is an annual global city touring festival in which citizens volunteer to guide tours … Continue reading →

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Arnold and Alice

Posted on April 24, 2014 by David Brussat

The Arnold Building had a serious fire in, I think, 2007. Its owner, Pat Cortellessa, who once ran for mayor against Buddy Cianci, lacked sufficient insurance to undertake repairs. This past year the Arnold was taken by eminent domain and … Continue reading →

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Column: Build a real memorial to Eisenhower

Posted on April 24, 2014 by David Brussat

The horizon keeps receding for Frank Gehry’s notion of what a memorial to Dwight Eisenhower should look like. The other day his design was rejected by the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) for narrowing the view corridor down Maryland Avenue … Continue reading →

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“America’s Urban Future”

Posted on April 21, 2014 by David Brussat

Vishaan Chakrabarti, a partner in the New York starchitect-wannabe firm SHoP (yes, the now almost mandatory ridiculous name), has nevertheless written an excellent piece about urban/suburban trends for the New York Times. It suggests that the feds should shift away … Continue reading →

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Column: Dr. Downtown’s stroll with Dr. Street

Posted on April 17, 2014 by David Brussat

Dear Dr. Downtown: Please tell us about your “walkabout” last weekend with the author of Street Design: The Secret to Great Cities and Towns — Strolling in Stratford. Well, the doctor thought that Dr. Street (aka John Massengale, New York … Continue reading →

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Column: The Dean and The Sportsman

Posted on April 10, 2014 by David Brussat

Word in 2012 that the Sportsman’s Inn, on Fountain Street in downtown Providence, half a block from The Journal, was to become a boutique hotel was not altogether welcome. The likelihood of a cheesy, hip-wannabe hotel with a gauche modernist … Continue reading →

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