PlanningxChange 114: Anna Lowder talks New Urbanism including Hampstead

In PX114, our interview guest is Anna Lowder, a co-founder and director of Hampstead, a New Urbanist community in Montgomery, Alabama, inspired by her experiences while living in London before returning to Montgomery. Established in 2008, the 416-acre master-planned residential and mixed-use development features homes, townhomes, condos, apartments, restaurants, shops, workspaces and a school, farm, and a lake. Anna helped Hampstead and Montgomery become the first neighborhood and largest city to adopt the SmartCode, an innovative zoning code that encourages diverse, mixed-use community for all ages and stages of life. She is a member of the National Town Builders Association and the Congress for the New Urbanism. 

Interview topics include, New Urbanism, Multigenerational Design, Designing for Sustainable Communities, SmartCode Adoption and Breaking Barriers with New Urbanism.

In podcast extra / culture corner, Anna recommends ‘The Bear’ TV series https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bear_(TV_series)

Jess recommends: ‘Wholesome by Sarah’, recipes and a new cookbook coming https://www.wholesomebysarah.com.au

and Pete recommends local history books including ‘The Enigma of Snake Island’ by Rob Ganly https://images.app.goo.gl/HnmAvU3VcHZPgFEGA

Audio production by Jack Bavage. Podcast released 21 March 2024.