MHCP COLAB

The Global Owl

Why Design Matters

In Miami, where car is king and pedestrian and bicyclists are a serious nuisance, MCHP COLAB's Melissa Hege uses her urban planner’s eye to share her photographs of good urban design from national and international cities. Each article features a neighborhood, street or park and identifies all the design parts that make it a successful place.

Pineapples, Bicycles and Bulb-outs (Oh My!): How this Small Village is Nailing it

Mar 31, 2018
4 min

Pineapples, Bicycles and Bulb-outs (Oh My!): How this Small Village is Nailing it

Some cities always cry out for attention while others quietly progress with spectacular results. The sleepy little Village of Miami Shores, just seven miles north of downtown Miami, has been quietly tending to its small downtown with simple and bold designs. Where bigger cities tend to struggle with the small solutions, this village is blazing forward. Let's see how. Just to be clear, the name "village" conjures images of a quaint mountain settlement with lush green landscape

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Coastal Carolina: Our Irma Retreat

Sep 28, 2017
4 min

Coastal Carolina: Our Irma Retreat

Spring Island, SC Hurricane Irma was sheer panic and anxiety for our family and so many of our friends. The stress of having to succumb to the massive power of Mother Nature was eased when we reached the Georgia state line, the mountains of North Carolina and the lowlands of South Carolina. But it was not until I entered the planned community of Spring Island, South Carolina, that I understood the meaning of the word "retreat" and why they are so important for us city dweller

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Good Streets, Great Places: What Every Urban Enthusiast Should Know

May 1, 2017
3 min

Good Streets, Great Places: What Every Urban Enthusiast Should Know

We can't import Europe's historical character and public spaces to Miami, but we can learn from their examples to make our fair city even better. Here's a compilation of what I've learned in my year long endeavor to curate the best parts of my travel for geeky urban enthusiasts like me! PUBLIC SPACES: Places de la Vosges, Paris, Le Marais District. Here lies the most spectacular public square. I start with this image because it is quintessential Paris, but so simple, that an

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