Levitt Bernstein’s Post

#Placemaking is a collaborative innovation process that works across disciplines, organisations and interests for a common goal - creating better places. The approach is a 'silo-buster'. The High Street Taskforce's six years of work in the UK found that: "The paucity of place partnerships across the country was a key barrier to progress. The need to restructure local governance arrangements to mobilise expertise, enthusiasm and effort from the business and the wider community was the number one recommendation of HSTF experts." Collaborative #place governance is a low-cost, high-impact approach to improve high street and place outcomes. Town Team Movement PlacemakingX Institute of Place Management Place Collective UK Royal Town Planning Institute Design Council Association of Town & City Management The BID Foundation Civic Voice Design Commission for Wales Cathy Parker MBE, SFIPM Mark Robinson Chris Wade FIPM Jen Heal Iain Nicholson, Founder of The Vacant Shops Academy Ben Stephenson Ed Steane Ian Harvey SFIPM FRSA Peter Smith Mike Fisher

It’s exciting to see Rochester aiming to be the first city in New York to secure a second round of funding through the Downtown Revitalization Initiative. This program has the potential to bring transformative change, revitalizing key areas like Main and State streets. As someone deeply involved in construction and revitalization projects, I’m looking forward to seeing how this initiative will shape the city’s future and support both historic preservation and new developments. The efforts to tackle vacancy rates and bring in new businesses are a step in the right direction for revitalizing downtown. #RochesterRevitalization #DowntownDevelopment #HistoricPreservation #UrbanRenewal #ConstructionInnovation #NewYorkRevitalization #CommunityGrowth #EconomicDevelopment #RevitalizeDowntown #CityTransformation #BusinessGrowth #ConstructionLeadership #DowntownRochester #HistoricRestoration #BuildingTheFutur

Buildings can’t speak for themselves. (Yep, you knew that already!) So it’s rare (and special) when a building can “speak” via the Architect that shaped it. I had that opportunity on a walking tour of 4 incredible housing projects in Fitzroy designed by KTA over the years, led by the inimitable kerstin thompson herself. Kerstin generously, and with refreshing honesty, shared the successes and challenges of each project. We were also lucky to hear from Associate Principal Lynn Chew about key behind-the-scenes moments. What shone through resoundingly for me is how centered *people* were in both their stories. Clients, current & future residents, builders, neighbours, and even those who had previously lived / worked in the area. A powerful reminder that all housing is, ultimately, a container for lives. Next time you find yourself on a street corner and look up to find housing - try to avoid dwelling on just the height, materials or “style”. Don’t get bogged down by the nitty-gritty. Zoom out. It’s the big picture that matters most. 🔍Think about the neighbourhood it’s in. 🔍The layers of history that corner had / has. 🔍About the lives of those who live there. 🔍If it fosters community and/or an ecosystem. Let that guide how the building “speaks” to you. 🎦 Video below of KTA’s Kerr St residences from the Walking Tour in Fitzroy on Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung Country. #lookup #mediumdensity #housing #thebigpicture #openhousemelbourne2024

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) Board has approved a landmark joint development agreement with NOHO Development Associates LLC, a partnership between Trammell Crow Company and High Street Residential. This collaboration will bring District NoHo to life—a transformative 11.8-acre mixed-use development adjacent to the North Hollywood Metro Station. District NoHo will be Metro’s largest residential development to date, delivering over 1,400 apartments, including 311 affordable housing units in its initial phase and at least 570 mixed-income apartments. Additionally, the project will include retail, office spaces, and approximately two acres of publicly accessible open space, creating a vibrant hub for living, working, and community engagement. With its blend of affordability, connectivity, and sustainability, District NoHo sets the stage for future Metro joint development projects and a more accessible, transit-oriented Los Angeles.

Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced a $1.35 billion mixed-use development at Hudson Yards’ Site K, located at 418 11th Avenue next to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The project, named HDSN (pronounced “Hudson”), will be developed by Hudson Boulevard Collective, a partnership that includes BRP Companies, BXP (formerly Boston Properties), The Moinian Group, and Urbane Development. The development aims to address New York City’s housing crisis, advance sustainability, and generate economic opportunity. HDSN will feature 1,349 residential units, including 404 permanently affordable homes, and include a 72-story East Tower and a 28-story West Tower. Additional amenities include a full-service hotel, fitness and wellness facilities, and 60,300 square feet of retail space. The project will also house the permanent home of the Climate Museum, a 4,000-square-foot Emma’s Torch Restaurant, and a Life Time Fitness center. This initiative replaces earlier plans for Affirmation Tower, proposed by the Peebles Corporation under former Governor Andrew Cuomo. Unlike the prior proposal, HDSN aligns with Governor Hochul’s priorities by incorporating affordable housing and creating inclusive community spaces. Sponsored by the New York Convention Center Development Corporation, the project will undergo environmental and public review before moving forward. Joseph Moinian, CEO of The Moinian Group, described the development as a pivotal step toward bringing much-needed housing and revitalization to Manhattan’s West Side. #HudsonYards #AffordableHousing #Sustainability #EconomicDevelopment #NYCRealEstate #UrbanDevelopment https://lnkd.in/ege6hzhk

Opinion: Berkeley should design streetscapes that create safe neighborhoods Incorporating Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design into its policies and plans would improve safety for all Berkeley residents and support resilient and vibrant communities. Berkeleyside - Aimee Baldwin Do different streets in Berkeley feel safer than others? If you had to wait for a bus, would you feel safer at the corner of San Pablo and Ashby avenues in front of the shuttered Walgreens or at the corner of Solano and Colusa avenues near people sitting at sidewalk cafes and restaurants?  Whether by design or inaction, the city of Berkeley’s policy choices eliminates basic “passive” public safety and increase the need for policing to impose safety. The city has not considered the costs to our greater public safety in allowing storefronts to remain vacant, allowing buildings to privatize amenities and failing to activate commercial storefronts. The city charges restaurants for parklets, citing the loss of parking, but fails to consider their positive effect on the streetscape. Berkeley should incorporate principles of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) into city policies and planning, such as objective design standards, and support small businesses to improve safety for all Berkeley residents and support resilient and vibrant communities. TheNICP.com #CPTED #USCA https://lnkd.in/eMcY7hBQ?

I write this posting now several weeks after meeting the new residents of the HousingFirst Marlborough Street development. A workshop organised by HousingFirst Ltd presenting a unique opportunity for me to meet the community, now settled into their new homes. 
A chance to reflect on an experience which I believe our profession of architects needs to do more: engage with, more fundamentally, the people for which we are designing. Rather than designing purely through the matrix of our legislative apartment design manuals. 
I have benefitted from having met the real people who need a roof over their heads. To understand the safety they need to feel, the community stability they crave, the health and comfort we must offer and the cost-of-living burdens they endure. 
The benefit i have gained will be brought to the next project, then the next, as the State and Federal Governments seek to ramp up the construction of social and affordable housing. They must be delivered in the most meaningful way for these communities, so listening to the obstacles the residents face is an essential piece of the design puzzle. 
Designing and constructing empathetically and sustainably is the only way to ease the long-term cost of living woes for the residents, and create harmonious communities. Government targets are one part of this, and we must seek to exceed these where possible. However the real challenge will be meeting the initial increase of costs and this is where Government really needs to step in to support the industry. 
On a final note, I was deeply humbled by the connection between the residents and their flora and fauna. Seeing the residents bond with their pets and plants was touching. Fish, budgerigars and balconies over-flowing with flora. We must maximise opportunities for connecting our communities with biodiversity with each new social housing project! Let’s exceed our targets and create spaces that truly improve lives and foster community. #Melbourne  #HousingFirst #BaldassoCortese #CollaborateCreateConnect #AustralianArchitecture #ArchitectureAU  #CommunityHousing

A big step in the right direction. If these guidelines can be combined with as of right/pre-zoning for large portions of Toronto's village-like avenues, (perhaps via Ontario's new community planning permit system - CPPS), then city building and housing supply would get a great boost. Perhaps these tools could be extended to several of GTA's municipalities.

Networking Chats: Pumpkins 🎃, Sustainability, Crime & the Power of "Eyes on the Street"! Last Thursday’s Canary Homes was an evening packed with insights and engaging conversations - huge thanks to Barry Rea for organising such a great event! One of the highlights was a fascinating chat with Hugh McEwen from Office S&M Architects about their collaboration with the London Borough of Newham . They’re creatively reusing surplus materials from other construction sites in a Newham scheme - true sustainability in action! It’s this kind of innovation that makes a real impact in London’s development landscape, especially when tackling challenges like environmental responsibility while building new homes. But here’s where it got even more interesting. Our talk about pumpkins and the challenges of buying carving knives led to a deeper discussion on knife crime in London. It was a sharp reminder of the responsibility architects, developers, and local authorities have in creating spaces that deter anti-social behaviour and enhance safety. These issues are top-of-mind for new homebuyers and should shape our design and planning strategies. Jane Jacobs’ idea of “eyes on the street” came up - a timeless principle emphasising passive surveillance and mixed-use urban development. It’s what makes London dynamic and vibrant, and it’s critical to reducing crime. Initiatives like the London Legacy Development Corporation handbook on equitable urban design, prioritising women’s and girls’ safety, are steps in the right direction, proving sustainability is also about inclusive and safer communities. If you’re designing homes that inspire, sell, and leave a positive legacy - let’s connect. Together, we can shape a more sustainable and inclusive London! TF Property Consultancy #Sustainability #UrbanDesign #CrimePrevention #networkingchats #NewHomesLondon #InclusiveDesign #SalesAndMarketing #PropertySector #KnifeCrime #EyesOnTheStreet #PassiveSurveillance #CanaryConnections #tfpropertyconsultancy Pictured with Ebong and Sophia... talking podcasts.

👀 What do you see? Last week I was on-site in North West Leicestershire taking part in a Local Government Association Corporate Peer Challenge. Getting to know a place quickly often involves little tours and it was a pleasure on Thursday afternoon to take a walk round Coalville town centre. As we walked, I was struck by this small frontage, between a (very well merchandised) community-led retail unit to the left and a large, quite attractive new build housing estate to the right. Now you might be able to guess quite quickly that this is a former toilet block. Two entrances, discrete but practical when originally constructed I’m sure. I’m told it is actually more extensive than you may presume - though such blocks often are, when you consider everything they tend to contain - and some thought is currently going into future possibilities, which is great to hear. It’s a striking frontage, even more so now that it’s the ‘oldest’ in this particular stretch of street scene and personally I think quite attractive. And that’s what led me to take the photo, even before I started to consider what its original usage was. It’s brilliant to see such structures being retained and re-imagined, I look forward to hearing (and maybe seeing?) more when I return next year. One thing I’ve learnt through working with some great developers, architects and regenerationists is that architectural interest is often there, but subsumed in our thoughts about purpose of buildings rather than how they look. In other words, it’s easy to say ‘urgh it’s an old toilet block’ and dismiss its potential, rather than considering the eye catching style and future opportunities. With a definite increase in awareness of the need for carbon neutrality and how we work reuse into regeneration, plus an emphasis on parity of design with functionality - building beautiful - we see some really successful reincorporations, particularly in the bigger cities and increasingly spreading to the regions. I look forward to seeing many more thoughtful reinventions on my travels. #regeneration #placemaking #leadership