If you like urban design and planning or enjoy looking at your urban environment and considering how it could evolve, there is a wonderful book called Walking Home by Ken Greenberg, Random House, 2011. The book is the life and lessons of a city builder who has worked around the world and tries to make the urban area better.

There were many themes in Mr. Greenberg’s book but to focus on two of them – design and mixed use. The first issue design is important, but who does the designing? Early in Mr. Greenberg’s career he worked in smaller locations because even smaller locations are in need of consultants. In smaller urban areas it was easier to see how the process works to ensure a plan is not shelved and gathers dust. In smaller locations officials wear a variety of hats and make decisions that will make implementation both easier and harder. For example in the capital plan, improvements to the road system are budgeted for, often times dependent on a higher level of government grant, and in place, when someone comes afterwards and suggests there are methods to improve the downtown area it is too late. The work has to be done before the capital budget is approved. There are people making day to day decisions that affect the urban infrastructure, the best method is to co-ordinate them with a vision of what could be.

Everyone loves mixed use but, who are the connectors? One of the things people tend to like about downtown areas is the number of things going on. Whether its offices, stores, entertainment, culture, education, etc. That is true but in many instances each of the uses tend to be an island by themselves. There are many examples but the classic one is the Renaissance Centre in Detroit. The building was designed to improve downtown Detroit, which is a great thing to do, except for it is difficult to go outside, it is very easy to drive in and out. Not surprisingly that is what people do. A simpler example is a park the author walks through, originally when it was designed there was no pathway but people made a path, because it was easy to walk through. Eventually the educational institution put in a path and it continues to be well used. Connectors tend to see the end product – how do or how will they use the device?

Linking to dividend paying stocks, each of the above the design and mixed use facility are easy to get wrong. Companies do it all the time, because there are many competing interests and decisions are made by very well intention people but sometimes it just does not happen right and the question what were they thinking comes forth? Fortunately, the dividend producing companies tend to get it more right than wrong and  are able to continue to pay a dividend.

There are more questions than answers, till the next time – to raising questions.