John,

There are few things more annoying than an architectural snob, an urban elitist that rejects a new building simply because it doesn’t match their aesthetic sensibilities.

And snobbery goes from annoying to offensive when it’s voiced during a housing shortage, when it seemingly gives validity to the anti-growth crowd that fights every new building because of “neighborhood character” concerns.

Yet, what if it’s not snobbery? What if it’s not elitism? What if the critique is not only right, but critical to understand if we’re going to overcome NIMBY resistance to change?

Our good friend, architect Jeff Speck (Walkable City, Walkable City Rules), was taken to the Twitter woodshed over a comment he made about a new house in his neighborhood. Our own Daniel Herriges not only points out why Speck was right, but why understanding Jeff’s core insights are critical for those wanting to get things built.

Read Can We Afford to Care About Design in a Housing Crisis? now. Then pass it on to someone else in your city.

And when you’re done, swing by the Strong Towns Community site (community.strongtowns.org) and take part in the book club conversation on Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity. See you there!

-Chuck  

PS – This Sunday we close applications for our three open positions. We’re looking for a Communications Associate, a Development Associate, and a bookkeeper to join our team. Please apply or pass it along to someone you think might be a good fit. 

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