The failure of 'new urbanism'

[ColoGI]

My question is, Are great places made or do they just happen? Or is it a bit of both?

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Perhaps we, as planners, need to concentrate less on making great places and more on allowing great places to occur.

I agree to an extent, the issue being that part of the plan should be to ensure cr*ppy places aren't slapped up and walked away from in such a scheme.