#FoundersFriday "The greenest building is the one already built." 🏛️🌱 Last night, we had the chance to meet and learn from Brett Waterman the force behind #Restored on Magnolia Film Networks and a champion of architectural preservation. Brett reminded us that great design doesn’t need to be reinvented, it needs to be respected, understood, and adapted. As Louis Sullivan once said: "Form follows function." And when that function evolves, preservation offers a way to meet modern needs without erasing our architectural soul. We both agree: with so many underutilized commercial buildings across our cities, this kind of thoughtful reuse must happen at scale. Thank you to Brett and Pasadena Heritage for another conscious and thought-provoking evening. Advocacy + education = better decisions, better urbanism. 🎥 Here is a quick clip from the night. ➡️ Got questions about real estate — from Adaptive Reuse and preservation to leasing, investing, or redevelopment? Whether you are just exploring or ready to move, let us talk strategy. 📩 #PreservationIsProgress #AdaptiveReuse #SustainableDevelopment #PasadenaHeritage #Restored #CommercialRealEstate #HistoricPreservation #UrbanRevitalization #CREStrategy #BetterCities

A new community of extra care homes is planned on the 2.2-acre Lansdowne House site in Edinburgh. Vivere, a joint venture with Probitas, acquired the 2.2-acre Lansdowne House site, from St George’s School, and plans to transform this into their first community of new extra care homes in the city. The Lansdowne House development will provide a combination of refurbished heritage and newly built homes, alongside communal lounges and amenities created within the main Victorian villa on the site, originally built in 1875. https://lnkd.in/e_xwFbfA A hugely successful Community Information Event was held on 2nd October 2025 where visitors attended to learn more about the plans for the site. CDA is proud to be working with Vivere and Probitas Developments, as lead architect to prepare proposals for the new community alongside Doig+Smith, Montagu Evans, Harley Haddow, Henderson Warnock Engineers and rankinfraser landscape architecture llp. CDA team: David Hannah, Catriona Gray, Jamie Sansbury, Cristiano Pintani, Amina Hafeez, Laura Krūmiņa #CDA #Vivere #Probitas #residential #extracarehomes #laterliving #extracare #carefacilities #development #stakeholderengagement #planning #communityengagement #investment #edinburgh

Reimagining Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway | Design Workshop https://lnkd.in/g9swawWN As Philadelphia approaches its 250th birthday, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway – once envisioned as a scenic drive through civic institutions and garden – has become fragmented green spaces separated by high-speed traffic routes. Grassroots efforts and community planning have built momentum for transformation. This proposal reimagines the area not as a parkway bordered by green spaces, but as Philadelphia’s next great park: connected experiences, expanded activities, unified green spaces, climate-resilient design, and offering multimodal transportation – creating a cohesive public space worthy of the city’s legacy. #landscapearchitecture #USA #Philadelphia

King Charles’s vision shaping the next wave of new towns 🏡🌿 King Charles’s once-controversial ideas on architecture and community living are set to inspire the next generation of new towns across England. The government is preparing to announce 12 new towns with a “gentle density” — such as terraced houses and mansion blocks — rather than tower blocks. The focus will be on sustainability and public spaces fostering a sense of community. It marks a turnaround for the King’s previous philosophy. In 1984, he famously denounced an extension to the National Gallery as a “monstrous carbuncle”, angering the architectural establishment. But today, his principles in his Poundbury and Nansledan developments are more mainstream, focusing on local materials, human scale design and harmony with nature. TV architect George Clarke welcomed the shift. “Too many post-war estates were soulless concrete blocks,” he said. “People want homes with quality design, places for children to play, and community spaces. That’s what the King has always argued for.” Clarke, said well-designed spaces gave families “a fantastic place to live.” The government faces increased pressure to deliver 1.5m homes by 2030. More than 100 sites have been suggested, with each new town expected to house at least 10,000 people. Lessons will be learnt from post-war towns, which suffered from bad transport, car dependence and a lack of amenities. Officials say the new developments will come with design codes, affordable housing, and sustainability at their core. The King’s Foundation event where the plans were outlined also heard from international speakers. US mayor Jim Brainard described how redesigning his town to include public squares and green spaces helped bring people of all backgrounds together. “Town centres are vital for social cohesion,” he said. As the government prepares to reveal the final locations, it’s clear that the King’s vision is now shaping how Britain builds for the future.

1529 N Fremont introduces missing middle housing to Chicago, IL’s Lincoln Park — 132 compact rental units, 20% attainable, designed for young professionals and first-time renters. Hear from George Sorich, Vice President, Residential, on how this transit-oriented, mixed-use development fosters a walkable, connected community. For CityPads. Designed by NORR. Built by ENC. Video produced by ENC. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gcpMDHeb CityPads, ENC Construction & Development, George Sorich AIA, LEED®AP, Adam Jeckel #MixedUseDevelopment #Residential #PurposeBuiltRentals #AttainableHousing #Chicago #Architecture #NORR

We’re proud to be leading the masterplanning of Peel Land's Lee Hall scheme in Bolton, a 246-acre site set to deliver 1,450 homes, new employment space, vital community facilities and a landscape-led framework for growth. Our work has focused on shaping more than just streets and development parcels. We’ve developed a strategy that connects people and places: 🛣️ a new link road that relieves congestion and begins to unlock the wider #NorthFold corridor 🚲 6.4km of active travel routes stitched through the masterplan 🌳 a 15-acre community park, wetlands and green infrastructure 🏥 a school, health centre and 70-bed care home at the heart of the neighbourhood For us, this project isn't just about housing numbers. It’s about identity, movement, landscape and belonging: the ingredients that make places thrive. Huge thanks to Peel Land, LUC, Turley, i-Transport, TEP - The Environment Partnership, AECOM and the wider team. Exciting times ahead for Bolton. https://lnkd.in/eJQUj3xY https://lnkd.in/e-unf4ST #PlaceMaking #Masterplanning #UrbanDesign #NorthWest #LeeHall #Westhoughton #Bolton #NewHomes #Architecture

The story of Detroit’s award-winning Joe Louis Greenway is headed to New Orleans for the American Society of Landscape Architects’ 2025 Conference on Landscape Architecture on 10/12. SmithGroup’s Brian Charlton, the City of Detroit’s David Tobar and Sheri Burton of the Midwest Civic Council of Block Clubs will share the strategies and lessons learned in planning, funding and constructing a 27.5-mile multi-use trail through four cities – highlighting the deeply connective role that community engagement plays in greenway design and development. https://lnkd.in/e5YBuwAq #ASLA2025 #Mobility #Equity #DesignABetterFuture

This should be a significant strategy for addressing the demands placed on municipalities in New Jersey to provide affordable housing, especially in suburban communities where vacant land is scarce. Keeping the character of community by adapting a historic structure and reducing demolition bulk in the waste stream are just some of the benefits.

Great to see our projects Rochester Riverside and Alkerden Gateway featured in the New Towns Taskforce Final Report as exemplars of high-quality placemaking. A number of BPTW’s current projects - from urban extensions, to new settlements, and unlocking Grey Belt release sites - reflect the critical role architects and urban designers play in shaping these new communities. Our recent work demonstrates how thoughtful design and strategic visioning can unlock land, accelerate delivery, and create resilient, inclusive places. Here’s a snapshot of our current new towns work: 🏙️ Billet Road, London Borough Redbridge – urban extension masterplan, outline & first phase consent. 🏘️ Coordination masterplan, Kent – a coordination masterplan of circa. 4000 homes amongst landowners in Kent 🌳 Swanley, Sevenoaks, Kent – Grey Belt release site 🏡 Waterbeach, Cambridge – recent Reserved Matters Consent as part of a strategic masterplan 🏖️ Hearne Bay, Kent – coastal growth and placemaking 🌱 Ebbsfleet Garden Village, Kent  – supporting delivery in a nationally significant growth area We look forward to seeing how the shortlisted sites progress and what this means for the future of housing in the UK and the government’s commitment to delivering homes at scale. 📘 Read the New Towns Taskforce report: New Towns Taskforce: https://lnkd.in/e8yZjSgX Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government #NewTowns #Placemaking #GreyBelt #HousingDelivery #UrbanDesign #Architecture #Thamesmead #TaskforceReport #1.5millionhomes

Public spaces can help shape human behavior. Landscape architects design public spaces to function physically and empower people psychologically. Safety, amenities, and beauty are all elements of successfully designed places that encourage human connections. Skate parks become natural social hubs for youth and the young at heart, turning individual recreation into shared experiences. Project: Wilkes-Barre West Side Riverfront Parks Master Plan #LandscapeArchitecture #LandscapeDesign