Randy D. Dunn’s Post

Building the landmarks of tomorrow requires more than blueprints. It demands trust, transparency and true community partnership. Discover how some of Oregon's most successful urban projects transformed skepticism into support through inclusive planning and meaningful engagement. Read more in our recent opinion piece in Daily Journal of Commerce Oregon, penned by our own Kelliann Amico, APR, Fellow PRSA and Bob Hastings: https://lnkd.in/gbkt6qBn

The Urban Minds blog is back! This month, one of our Development Coordinators, Devesh Vaswani, discusses the McMansion—a popularized suburban house that has come to symbolize American culture and consumerism. Click here to read the blog: https://lnkd.in/gKXHbKKm

Learn the urban theory that has prepared urbanists and planners alike to recognize culture and embrace diversity. https://lnkd.in/g3NMmR-P

A recent article from Planetizen explores how housing policy and urban planning have shaped regional growth and exacerbated housing challenges. It highlights the historical roots of zoning and land-use policies prioritizing exclusivity and sprawl, contributing to inequity, affordability crises, and environmental issues. Planners are called to actively reshape these systems by advocating for inclusive, equitable, and sustainable policies. Housing policy plays a pivotal role in shaping regional growth. Historical zoning practices have left many communities grappling with affordability, accessibility, and environmental impacts. At Equitable Cities, we’re addressing these challenges head-on. Through technical assistance and equitable urban planning strategies, we collaborate with agencies to tackle systemic barriers, foster inclusive growth, and create pathways to sustainable housing solutions. Join us in reshaping the future of housing equity. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ePsXZSQB #UrbanPlanning #HousingEquity #SustainableGrowth

Explore the dynamic relationship between Westminster City Council and The Crown Estate in our latest article. Uncover key insights into urban governance, strategic partnerships, and the impact on London's iconic Westminster district. https://lnkd.in/ebYM7Xyh

Today, we're taking a digital stroll down memory lane in the streets of Philadelphia, but in 1994! Our Topographic Map feature now lets you explore the city's contours and landscapes as they were nearly three decades ago. 🏙️ Imagine seeing how the City of Brotherly Love's hills and valleys have changed over the years. Discover historical landmarks in their past context, and compare them with the present to witness the city's evolution. 📚 For researchers, urban planners, or anyone fascinated by Philadelphia's rich history, this is a goldmine! It's not just a map; it's a time capsule that tells a story of urban development, landscape changes, and historical growth.

I just finished reading the City of Charlotte 2040 Comprehensive policy plan and I must say it is a pretty good and well informed city development framework. I am curious to see how well it will or is being executed and how true it remains to its core values and principle. https://lnkd.in/etsSgAC4

Learn the urban theory that has prepared urbanists and planners alike to recognize culture and embrace diversity. https://lnkd.in/g3NMmR-P

Please join MAS on Tuesday, May 21 for a lunchtime virtual talk as part of our Enduring Culture Initiative, with Kamau Ware, Shelley Worrell, Jiefei Yuan, Delma Palma, Pete Nice, and Amanda Boston, Ph.D. With New York City in a constant state of change, how can the field of preservation be expanded to be a more multivocal, equitable, accessible, and inclusive framework for supporting diverse layers of history and culture in our city? What implications could such a shift have on our urban policy?  Historic preservation has traditionally been practiced with strict rules for maintaining material integrity tied to a specific place and time, most often through a singular perspective. However, a sense of place involves a larger set of narratives and layered histories. As our built environment shifts to adapt to our climate crisis, address our housing crisis, and deconstruct the legacy of racist planning and marginalizing policy, how can the field of preservation evolve to do more than one thing for more than one purpose? How can preservation practiced in non-traditional forms provide the opportunity for our urban fabric to be flexible, adaptable, and reflect layers of history to support multiple communities over time? 

🏗️Sustainable Development Spotlight! For many, housing is more than just a building or a room they rent—it’s the relationships, the history, the system that brings neighbors together. This is why it’s so important for cities to take a people-centered, inclusive approach to urban development. In our final spotlight, gathered by the International Society for Urban Health (ISUH) team, Somsook Boonyabancha of the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR) shares what it means to make housing development more inclusive and how urban planners and local government need to consider the needs of all residents, across neighborhoods and income levels. Learn more about equitable and sustainable urban development, and explore other stories from the field: https://lnkd.in/eZsuT9bf