Maryland Planning Blog

25 inspiring essays by Kaid Benfield

“There is no logic that can be superimposed on the city; people make it, and it is to them, not buildings, that we must fit our plans.” — Jane Jacobs

Much like Jane Jacobs before him, Kaid Benfield’s writings change the way we think about our communities. With a keen eye toward urban places, he illuminates the complex and often overlooked characteristics that make up livable and healthy communities.

Where many planners and urban professionals focus on infill, walkability, preservation, transit access, planning and place-making tools, Kaid’s focus goes beyond standard code words like sustainability and green and instead explores the environment of older and newer communities, where healthy living and a decent Walk Score is a way of life rather than an automobile ride away. Instead of jargon, Kaid uses accessible language. We identify with many of the places he describes, but more importantly, the reader grasps the attributes and qualities of the communities that we are drawn to and where people, institutions, and businesses live and thrive.

Kaid Benfield is the Director of Sustainable Communities, Energy & Transportation Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council. Follow Kaid on Twitter: @Kaid_at_NRDC

What creates a shared sense of stewardship? What adds vibrancy to a neighborhood or a street? How can getting to school become easy? Where can urban farming become an asset rather than a nuisance? How can we embrace growth and change “no” to “yes” to create places of lasting beauty and quality? Most importantly, what transformations can be pursued to help aging suburbs adapt to the demographic changes and emerging needs of the 21^st century?

While many of the concepts that Kaid explores are not easily transcribed to the use tables of a zoning ordinance, planning professionals need to understand them and incorporate them into their work.  There’s no question that we should adapt planning tools, transportation decisions, financing methods and approval processes to foster smart, livable and healthy communities.

The 25 essays in People Habitat: 25 Ways to Think about Greener, Healthier Cities are highly recommended to help get us there. The essays explore more than density, transit access, preservation and affordability; they probe the places that draw people and examine what’s working, such as where walking, transit or a bicycle ride effectively co-exists with automobiles. What begins as “communities of the imagination” morphs throughout this book into a unique and sometimes humorous examination of places that can “nourish the mind, body and spirit.”

Henry David Thoreau wrote: “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”[1]

In People Habitat, Kaid Benfield describes the foundations of healthy and livable places and offers guideposts to assist those who seek to adapt and revitalize communities. It is highly recommended reading for urbanists, planning professionals and those looking for principles to enhance their lives as well as the environments in which they live and work.

“People Habitat: 25 Ways Ways to Think about Greener, Healthier Cities,” People Habitat Communications (January 6, 2014) ISBN-13: 978-0989751100