Delightful for a layman like me: "The Genius of Traditional Buildings."

Sharpe provides simplicity and clarity in answering questions we've all asked from time to time. His conclusion: "Traditional building developers used their limitations as advantages, making the most out of known technology and social behavior."

Now that's revolutionary.

The Genius of Traditional Buildings, by Graeme Sharpe (Urban Indy)

Have you ever been to a old downtown and marveled at the historic buildings? Have you ever wondered how they could create such beautiful buildings on such small budgets, compared to the placeless architecture we are told is barely affordable today?

The truth is that those multi-story, mixed-use buildings lining the street were built by a different culture. We are a different people now, and we demand different things from our built environment.

But that old American culture was a very clever one, and we can profit from studying what they did right, and how they did it. So here is their basic recipe ...