Lean Urbanism

Making Small Possible

Steve Coyle

Over the last 25 years, Steve Coyle has affected positive change in the design, form-based coding, and development of towns and cities large and small as an architect, urban planner, and developer. A national expert in the field of sustainable planning, his book, Sustainable and Resilient Communities (www.sustainableandresilient.com), codifies a set of practices in design, planning, and engineering. Co-founder of the National Charrette Institute (www.charretteinstitute.org) and contributing author to the Charrette Handbook, Coyle remains an innovator in public engagement and the design of beautiful, healthy, and cool places that children, grown-ups, and businesses love. Always ready for a design challenge, he has worked in the West Bank, Mongolia, and presently works for the Prince's Foundation in Gabon, Africa.

Basic Lean in Gabon, Africa

What can urbanists learn from West-Central Africa? That Lean describes a way of life for many residents, merchants, and builders who encounter a thick layer of buronic bureaucracy on the one hand, and a lifestyle often stripped down to basic necessities. Working around both extremes builds Lean muscle.