Urban Connector’s Top 10 of 2023

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It was another exciting year of spreading ideas to improve our cities. Here are some of my favorites of 2023.

Honorable Mentions:

Raleigh’s Missing Middle Pipeline – No, it’s not just million-dollar townhomes being proposed.

Raleigh Northern Arc BRT Plan – The first four BRT alignments are pretty set, now let’s tie them together.

10. Raleigh’s BRT Success Depends on the TOD Rezoning

Raleigh has started construction on the first of four Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines, the New Bern BRT. It aims to reduce car dependency, promote affordability and combat climate change through a proposed Transit Overlay District (TOD). If up-zoning along the BRT corridor is not implemented, it could result in displacement and increased pressure on existing infrastructure. Up-zoning could diversify housing options, reduce sprawl, and decrease climate change impacts.

9. UNC Charlotte Guest Article – The Future of I-277

I-277 has a stranglehold on Uptown Charlotte. It’s time we do something about it and repair the mistakes of the past.

Related: Reconnecting Charlotte

8. YouTube Drone Tours – Head over to my YouTube channel for drone tours of Atlanta, Charlotte, and Raleigh. Plus, much more!

7. Future of the Triangle Fringe Cities – As the Triangle continues to grow and the principal cities do not add the needed levels of infill we’re faced with two choices – continued sprawl or making use of the great bones of the ring of fringe cities.

Introduction, Henderson, Rocky Mount, Wilson, Goldsboro, Smithfield / Selma, Sanford, Pittsboro, and Burlington.

6. 30 Unit Community – Something I really want to get more into is site design and sketches of missing middle, infill and other types of neighborhoods. Expect a lot more site design ideas next year!

5. Future of Downtown Atlanta – There were a few hiccups this year, but the future of Downtown Atlanta is brighter than ever, especially with South Downtown in good hands.

4. Raleigh I’m Concerned – A look into why the suburban mindset of some in Raleigh will lead us down a dangerous path. The article that nearly has more views and comments than all of the rest combined. Oh yeah, stay out of the comment section.

3. Southern Urbanism – Density, Affordability and Transit series and Magazine Co-Authored article with Eric Kronberg

2. CNU 31 – My first time at CNU was an incredible experience. See my takeaways and car-free Charlotte experience.

1. Thread ATL Podcast – I was honored to appear as a guest on Darin Given’s Thread ATL Podcast where we discussed the intersection of Transportation and Land Use in Atlanta. I’m hoping to start my own series in the coming year. Stay tuned!

2024 is sure to be another big year of ideas, videos, and advocacy back home in Atlanta!

Phil Veasley is a Professional Engineer working 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.