Day 1 #globalurbanstudy of the social life of French small town streets: Auxerre + Noyers . Walkable medieval patterns, active ground floors, and streets built for people,not cars, create “accidental density” of daily interactions that power local sociocultural resilience.

With another #globalurbanstudy tour approaching, I’m revisiting past tour insights, such as in Edinburgh’s New Town. My #urbanstructurediagrams capture built edges, streets, and key nodes—quick sketches focused on memory, revealing how places, spaces, and connections relate.

I’m always intrigued by doorways. Whenever I’m on a#globalurbanstudy tour I try to capture at least one in a photo. This one’s weathered nature stood out to me as symbolic of the nature of the city itself. An image can capture the spirit of a place/culture. Or, at least the memory of one. #ghent

Street infrastructure is an often-overlooked ingredient of great public space. Trash bins, recycling stations, benches, newsstands, and public toilets can shape identity. Every city has the opportunity to turn the everyday into civic design. #globalurbanstudy

This never ceases to awe me whenever I exit Russel Square Station #London:

4 storey mix use. Integrated urban transit station. Vertical, narrow townhomes. Sidewalk vendors. All in a 1 block street frontage.

Just do this.

Everywhere.

All the time.

#mediumscalemediumdesnsity
#GlobalUrbanStudy

With another #GlobalUrbanStudy tour fast approaching, I’m revisiting past tours and insights gathered.

My #urbanstructurediagram of Mount Vernon Square in Baltimore captured its landmarks, vistas, and connections; revealing how scale, rhythm, and enclosure shape a memorable, legible public space.

A Saturday trip to #portobelloroad always makes me think about colour and place. Vibrant home colours with contrasting doors make a unique #nottinghill vernacular, echoed in the market’s vibrant wares and foods. An immersive lesson in putting “unity” in community. #globalurbanstudy

On my recent #globalurbanstudy tour of French cities, I looked for how people use public space socially. In Lyon’s Place de la République, I found it: when people dance, perform, and play, streets become stages. Vibrant urbanism thrives on participation, not just design. #urbanobservations

The Big Dig. Seaport. Kendall Square. Assembly Row.

Our #globalurbanstudy in Boston offered a remarkable range of lessons about how cities become adaptive.

The integration of new places with old places is the sweet spot of urbanism. And, Boston provides plenty of examples.

#theadaptivecity

Photos & sketches from #GlobalUrbanStudy in Burgundy—today in Lyon’s center. Studying public space (formal/informal), building siting, civic design & streets as primary realm. Quick urban diagrams map edges, paths & focal points—capturing how space, buildings & streets connect.

Passages, arcades, mews, lanes, and walks shape London’s fine-grained connectivity. These routes invite wandering, add mystery between major streets, and enrich the pedestrian experience. Their mix of retail, culture, and quiet spots strengthens local life and urban texture. #globalurbanstudy

A Brighton day trip revealed a city-by-the-sea with its own urban vernacular. Beyond tourism, housing colors, bold wall graphics, and a mix of neighborhood, independent, flea-market, and global retail define its core. All before you get to its distinctive rock-ladened beachfront. #globalurbanstudy

A night visit to King’s Cross shows Western Coal Drops Yard as a standout #adaptivereuse project. Once 19th century coal sheds, now connected by glazed spaces and terraces, the retail bays create a distinct rhythm and help define one of London’s most dynamic emerging districts. #globalurbanstudy

I’m not usually big on corner balconies, they often take away from the view on the interior. But, in the case of this building, the narrow balcony helps to accentuate the corner and provides a panoramic viewing of the major avenue and the side street. A well articulated condition. #globalurbanstudy

Development grafted onto the exteriors of churches. Something I saw in Brussels, Ghent, and Amsterdam. Further research needed. There’s always some interesting anomalies that one finds when studying cities.That’s part of what makes studying cities so rewarding! #urbanobservations #globalurbanstudy