Archive - Courtyard Urbanist

Chronicle #3: Illinois Is About to Legalize Courtyard Housing

Is this the first domino in a nation-wide movement?

Apr 8

March Marketing Brief

Where Housing Systems Are Emerging, and What They Mean for Courtyard Urbanism

Apr 1 • Alicia Pederson

March 2026

Make No Little Plans: A Call for Collaborators

Horizon Lines: Chicago Courtyard City by 2050

Mar 29 • Alicia Pederson

A New White Sox Owner Has 47 Acres in the South Loop. I Have a Suggestion.

The success of a stadium district depends entirely on whether the surrounding neighborhood is built for daily life.

Mar 27 • Alicia Pederson

They Laughed at Car-Free Housing. Now They’re Trying to Copy It.

Culdesac Tempe and the End of the Parking Assumption

Mar 22 • Alicia Pederson

Welcome To Courtyard Urbanist!

The leading newsletter for architects, planners, developers, and enthusiasts bringing family-friendly courtyard blocks to American cities.

Mar 19

The Zoning Rule That Broke the American City Block

Wherein we discuss the great American SETBACK problem, and the PARTY WALL solution

Mar 15 • Alicia Pederson

Marketing Brief - BUILD Plan, LIHTC & $100M: What Developers Need Now

Every policy shift, project update, and funding window shaping Midwest urban development — February 2026.

Mar 11 • Alicia Pederson

Chronicle #2: Why Developers Are Suddenly Interested in Courtyard Housing

Developers, cities, and planners are starting to turn courtyard urbanism into real projects.

Mar 10 • Alicia Pederson

The Best New Courtyard Block Built in America, and Why It Became Luxury Housing

A $400M courtyard block in Brooklyn reveals why America builds luxury megaprojects instead of real urban neighborhoods

Mar 5 • Alicia Pederson

February 2026

Illinois One Step Closer to Courtyard Urbanism

What Pritzker’s BUILD plan gives courtyard urbanists (and what it still withholds)

Feb 23 • Alicia Pederson

Tell congress we need better elevator codes so we can have better cities

Sign the letter and catch up on the Elevator Reform Discourse

Feb 17 • Alicia Pederson

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