Thoughts from CNU 32 in Cincy

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel

Subscribe to receive email notifications for new articles.

CNU 32 is in the books and I have to say it was a great one! Cincinnati far and away blew away my expectations as a City. From the rolling hills, beautiful waterfront, to bridges and architecture that honestly rival New York it was in no way what I was expecting. The City has done a fantastic job restoring their urban fabric. Head over to YouTube for my drone tour of the QC. Also stay tuned for my complete Cincy recap soon as well!

The Congress opened up with an energizing talk from Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval who is currently overseeing the cities’ efforts at a housing and zoning reform (which passed Planning Commission Friday)!

I had the privilege of again participating in the Highway Transformation workshop where my colleague Lucy Gibson and I presented on Toole Design’s highway removal work in Minneapolis and Detroit.

The group also workshopped the upcoming Highway Transformation Manual which will hopefully serve as a model for the future of Highway Removal work.

Some other sessions of note that really stood out to me were the highlights of work from Incremental Development Alliance members. It is amazing and inspiring to see the work small-scale neighborhood developers are doing across the Country. More and more cities and towns all over are realizing that the key to solving the housing crisis is making it easier for everyday people to invest in their neighborhoods!

It’s no secret that arbitrary parking requirements inflate housing costs. Patrick Siegman, Todd Litman, and Tony Jordan dove into the details of those numbers. Also, highly suggest getting involved with the Parking Reform Network.

Dr. Andre M Perry delivered a powerful talk on the connection between the housing crisis and climate crisis.

These were just a few of the many wonderful sessions. I can’t wait to see everyone again next year at CNU 33 in Providence! Let’s get to work making our cities better.

Phil Veasley is a Professional Engineer working with Toole Design Group to design safer multimodal infrastructure in cities throughout the US.

My goal is to create cites that are safe and effective for all people to move about outside of cars. To achieve that we have to focus on creating equitable, dense, and vibrant cities full of walkable neighborhoods with a various mix of housing choices, schools, restaurants, and services. We cannot have safe multimodal infrastructure without the density to support it and we cannot have equitable density without safe multimodal infrastructure. Outside of designing safe streets, my passions are sketching ideas for infill neighborhoods, floor plans, urban photography, and exploring our cities on foot or bike. Please check out the menus above for all of my ideas and also check out my YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter accounts.

Opinions and insights are my own and are not representative of my employer or any organization.