Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 13hColour in architecture. As I’ve seen more and more examples worldwide, I’ve come to the conclusion that, while paint isn’t architecture, colour can play a critical role in accentuating the experience of a building or a place. It can be bold or subtle, dramatic or calming. 011
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 28/09/2026#todaysmap courtesy of Marco Te Brömmelstroet the Cycling Professor @fietsproffesor on LI, illustrating the intensity of bike lanes in Europe. Its a few years old now, so it’s probably even more dense at this point. It never ceases to amaze me. 020
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Have small indie bookstores made a comeback? Across cities, I'm noticing a rise in small, curated shops mixing new, used & rare books. While big-box stores push lifestyle goods, indies focus on discovery, curation, attraction, & place. Street-level signals of urban change. #urbanobservations 010
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Biking can make you happier, healthier, and even smarter?! momentummag.com/cycling-can-... 010
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Here’s some of the worst bike lanes on the planet! momentummag.com/a-look-at-so... 040
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 24/09/2026The neighborhood pub. Sometimes raucous, sometimes contemplative, sometimes both. From debates to trivia nights, it can be a true third place, just like cafés, offering community beyond home and work. I’ve witnessed this in numerous pubs in the UK. A vital piece of urban life. 0102
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Healthy cities. When we talk about health in cities we invariably talk about walking. Another aspect, though, is access to healthy, good tasting, eating. This article looks at some global efforts to combine access to healthy foods with access to public space . www.who.int/europe/news/... 011
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 22/09/2026For urbanists, books are a source of continuing education, Some books didn’t just teach us about cities, they set our trajectory as city builders. In this City Builders video, Mark and I walk through the texts that shaped our path. youtu.be/glk-pyRjDOc?... 011
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Design + health. Making healthy places. The dynamics of designing for health have changed and accelerated recently. An important aspect of this is the healing qualities of outdoor spaces. The new edition of this book makes the case. Design is more than aesthetic, it can be therapeutic. 000
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 20/09/2026The forecourt (entry court): an oft-forgotten transition from sidewalk to apartment entrance. These spaces shape resident & visitor experience—and work especially well in #mediumscalemediumdensity “U”-shaped buildings. Sometimes building quality is defined by the spaces between it and the street. 040
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 19/09/2026Yesterday I spoke to AIA Detroit’s Christopher Kelly Leadership Dev Program on the Future of Cities. I used field studies from London, Shanghai and Baku to illustrate my approach: reading cities through sketches, photos and notes, via 4 lenses: public space, buildings, mobility, connectivity. 010
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 18/09/2026The (former) Michigan Gas Building in Detroit, by Minoru Yamasaki. Often criticized for sameness, Yamasaki’s work also has an inherent classical quality, in its organization, texture and proportions. The question: What role does this kind of architecture play in city building? 010
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 17/09/2026The Big Dig. Seaport. Kendall Square. Assembly Row. Our #globalurbanstudy in Boston offered a remarkable range of lessons about how cities become adaptive. The integration of new places with old places is the sweet spot of urbanism. And, Boston provides plenty of examples. #theadaptivecityyoutu.beCan't Believe This Is Boston | City Builders Ep.37YouTube video by City Builders 000
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 16/09/2026“With 68% of the population predicted to live in urban areas by 2050, a failure to incorporate health more decisively into urban planning and management will inevitably lead to growing…health and environmental burdens.” Urban Design matters! www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....tandfonline.comMainstreaming health in urban design and planning: advances in theory and practicePublished in Cities & Health (Vol. 6, No. 5, 2022) 011
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 15/09/2026PeopleForBikes’ 2026 City Ratings place Detroit in the U.S. top 10 for bike-friendly cities. Archive DS was team urban designer for Detroit’s long-term Non-Motorized Master Plan. More mobility options mean a more accessible city…in every sense. www.travelandleisure.com/most-bike-fr... 000
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 13/09/2026Opening day for football.First it was GRIT, then HEART, then FIGHT! As important for the resiliency of cities as it is for Gridiron Gladiators!. #GoLions Go #Detroit 021
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 12/09/2026We don’t emphasize enough the interdependency of policy and vision in successfully developing urban areas. It’s almost a chicken and egg type scenario. But, political leadership/community leadership is the crucial component to move it from idea to reality. 010
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 10/09/2026Understanding what works and what doesn’t in urbanism means going beyond looking at things, to actually Seeing things. Best example: When you drive through a neighborhood you can “look” at the place, but when you walk it you “see” it, you understand it. Seeing takes time, looking only a glance. 000
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 09/09/2026Fall Winter Spring Summer Seasons and the City. How we experience a city can be enhanced by how well it incorporates its inherent physical climate into its identity and use. Mark and I discuss, this week on City Builders. youtube.com/watch?v=Ctjo...youtube.com4 Seasons & Cities | City Builders Ep.36YouTube video by City Builders 000
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 07/09/2026Labour. Something that unites #Windsor and #Detroit. Two cities. Two countries. Two cultures. A shared history built on labour—from migrant workers to auto workers to struggles for freedom. Connected by bridges, a tunnel, water. Connected by labour. #LabourDay #BorderCities 020
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 06/09/2026A downtown corner turned productive garden where a vacant lot once sat. Proof that “rethinking” urbanism can reshape how a block gets used. Small space, big lesson in adaptive reuse. Field Study: Lafayette Greens, Detroit #todaysurbanspace 010
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 05/09/2026Parking lots in front of buildings. Legacy anti-urban conditions exist in cities big and small. The travesty is when we fail to learn, and repeat the mistakes of the past. Each transgression erodes a bit of a city’s soul. A city can’t out-suburb the suburbs. #urbanobservations 000
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 04/09/2026“Great bones” sustain Main Street. Durable buildings + open space let commerce and social life adapt. Empty lots become pop-ups and flea markets. Walkable, adaptable, resident-first downtowns; tourism helps, but daily life sustains. Field study: King St, Harrow, Canada #todaysmainstreet 010
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 03/09/2026As multifamily discourse embraces 6-unit+ sites, remember: #mediumscalemediumdensity homes have been here a century+. Some once housed 2-3x more units. Zoning & parking rules have stifled new versions; that’s slowly changing. Today’s challenge: where and how to deploy them for true #CityBuilding. 030
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 03/09/2026A welcome sign in the face of political machinations. 010
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 02/09/2026Small, intimate pocket parks can do so much: display art, provide contemplation, connect residential and commercial spaces, and even spill into restaurant seating. Yet, this one remains open and serene. A great example of how small urban spaces can knit a city together. Sculpture Garden, Toronto. 031
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 01/09/2026Housing has 4 key concerns: availability, affordability, quality & type. We often reduce “type” to a false choice: SF homes vs. apartment towers. We need more options; scales and typologies that can create different price points. Mark & I discuss this on City Builders. youtube.com/watch?v=AUUs...youtube.comHousing: Size Matters | City Builders Ep.35YouTube video by City Builders 012
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 31/08/2026I like dipping into books from earlier eras of city development. Ian Nairn’s work is a favourite, part scholarly critique, part boots-on-the-ground observation. This look at 1960s America is an instructive, fascinating slice of urbanism. 010
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 30/08/2026Smalltown Main Streets offer lessons for towns + cities. Compact, mixed-use bldgs create everyday activity and walkability. As towns grow, the challenge: to build complete downtowns that serve residents first, while preserving what made them special. Field Study: Manitoba St., Bracebridge, Canada 020
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 29/08/2026As true for City-building as it is for body-building! #todaysurbangraphic 000
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 26/08/2026It was a pleasure to serve as a juror for the Architectural Conservancy Ontario Heritage Awards along with other professional colleagues. Sharpening the lens I bring to studying cities. Looking forward to the celebration in October. Conservation. What’s worth preserving, perseveres. 041
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 25/08/2026Understanding the evolving city. This week we engage in a lively conversation with Robert Freedman, former Head of Urban Design for the City of Toronto, about his experiences there during a time of rapid change, + his current perspectives as an independent consultant. youtube.com/watch?v=L4oL...youtube.comTalking with Urbanist, Robert Freedman | City Builders Ep.34YouTube video by City Builders 010
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 24/08/2026The proper scale of urban elements. The optimal sidewalk needs to accommodate the many necessities for treating the street as primary public place: space for walking, space for passing, space for socializing, space for eating, space for sitting, space for stopping and viewing. 000
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 23/08/2026When streets are given back to people, even briefly, cities reveal possibilities. Events remind us that mobility, recreation, business and public life can coexist. The lesson isn’t “pedestrianize now!” It’s test, measure and rethink how we allocate street space. Field Study: Yonge Street, Toronto. 000
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 22/08/2026I’ve found my next downtime preoccupation! “MapTap is a daily guessing game for geography. You get a location in the world, you mark where you think that location is, and you see how close you are. The closer the guess to the actual location, the higher the score.” MapTap.gg 010
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 21/08/2026Serving as a juror for the Architectural Conservancy Ontario Heritage Awards. Evaluating conservation across Ontario sharpens the same lens I bring to studying cities and the built fabric that frames them: what’s worth preserving as urban form perseveres . 001
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 21/08/2026Street Fairs. The street as public space. Taking over a section of the avenue for an event. People, activities, commerce, and attractors such as food, combine to make the whole greater than the sum of the parts. Making “Place” from “Space”. Field Study: Chinatown. Toronto. #todayspublicspace 000
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 20/08/2026“We can’t build them like that anymore.” Or can we? The 3–5 story building is an urbanism building block for corridors & main streets. Fix parking minimums and density math, and #citybuilding opens to smaller developers & nonprofits. #MediumScaleMediumDensity Field Study: Springdale, Arkansas 053
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 19/08/2026The best TV shows treat the city as a character, not a backdrop. Think Law & Order’s NYC ;remove it, and the story loses its identity. The test: could this show exist elsewhere and stay the same? If no, the city is doing real narrative work. youtu.be/c6ndZKSoJBg?... via @YouTubeyoutu.beCB33 Cities As Television StarsYouTube video by City Builders 010
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 16/08/2026The oft-underappreciated #twostorybuilding. These structures have been the building blocks of corridors in cities traditionally, providing the opportunity for #incrementaldevelopment for small and aspiring builders. Encourage this for better, more affordable #citybuilding . 020
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 15/08/2026Stratford, Canada, shows how small-town Main Streets can help balance tourism/livability. #todaysmainstreet Ontario St. has generous sidewalks, while Market Sq and the riverside park add pedestrian-scale spaces. Theatre + river are attractors, but the Main Street itself is a draw. 050
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 14/08/2026Whether converting warehousing into office, educational into housing, manufacturing into educational, or infrastructure into office space, #adaptivereuse is a powerful agent of change for our cities. Adaptive reuse is the sustainability superpower of cities. #citybuilding #greenbuilding 000
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 12/08/2026Waterfronts reveal a city’s priorities. Green space. Buildings. Pedestrians. Toronto does all three while layering in industrial legacy, housing, beaches, institutions and innovative infrastructure. Does it work? We wade into Toronto waters on this week’s City Builders. youtu.be/Qj-2h0cHWzs?...youtu.beGreatest Waterfront in North America? | City Builders Ep.32YouTube video by City Builders 001
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 11/08/2026Have a READ: My latest piece, for Public Square. I make the case for medium scale, medium density development as a path forward for city building. It can enable smaller developers and institutions to significantly shape our neighborhoods, districts, and corridors. www.cnu.org/publicsquare...cnu.orgThe case for the return of the 3-5 story cityMedium-height, medium-scale buildings, slightly larger than typical Missing Middle housing, are the backbone of great neighborhoods. We need to emphasize this scale more. 033
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 07/08/2026 “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few…or the one.” As true for city building as it is for intergalactic spacefaring. 010
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 05/08/2026We’ve turned walking into a workout; measured by distance, time, and calories. But walking is also a creative tool. Change your route, notice your surroundings, meet people, and see your city differently. Great ideas often begin with a walk. #urbanobservations 000
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 04/08/2026Glasgow. Edinburgh. Inverness. Portree. Oban. We reflect on our Global Urban Study tour of Scotland. Join us in this discussion of a fascinating country and its varied urbanism and countryside. We discuss the scotch culture of the region as well. Rich place, rich lessons. youtu.be/5KSnjJHXqdQ?...youtu.beGlobal Urban Study: Scotland-Reflections | City Builders Ep.31YouTube video by City Builders 000
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 04/08/2026The Detroit Public Library. One of Detroit’s most overlooked civic buildings. In the shadow of the Det Inst of Arts, which is highly recognized. Beaux-Arts composition, enduring presence, contribution to the public realm make it far more than a library. Great cities are built like this. 010
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 03/08/2026I’ve started to study the impact of the urban “allee” on the pedestrian experience. A 2X row of trees provides enclosure, shade, directionality; a comfortable, pleasurable walk. Placement and configuration. Just as important as their provision in the first place. Field Study: Toronto parks 140
Dorian Moore, FAIA @dorianmoore.bsky.social · 02/08/2026We designed streets for cars, not buses. Too many bus networks resemble tangled spaghetti with deviations, overlapping routes, and delays. Simpler, more direct routes can improve reliability, reduce travel times, and grow ridership for cities unable to invest in BRT. #Mobility 010