hello, I want to UPDATE my followers on Substack and supporters of the Courtyard Urbanist project on plans for 2026 and beyond.

First, I am beyond grateful for the engagement and support of so many in my work. It’s thrilling to see how many people care about improving the urban fabric and quality of life for families -- in the US, which is my focus, but also around the world. Courtyard urbanism is obviously resonating on so many levels. And well it should! Speaking up for what matters is important, and you’ve amplified that and made it count. Thank you.

And what an exciting time for this work! Yes, there are lots of barriers to progress, etc., but there are also powerful actors and thinkers today who are CLOSE to understanding the value of reimagining urban spaces and homes and how they are designed, built, valued, used.

For example, I think the call by Patrick Collison and Tyler Cowen for A New Aesthetic is a timely contribution to not just debate but actual progress. I support this, and I want Courtyard Urbanist to accelerate the best of this conversation, and to be a bridge both across political and institutional divides, but also from ideas into practice. I’ve been asked both publicly and privately to contribute in these ways. So I’m happy to share that this year I will gradually be doing the following, in addition to the usual content, conversation (and provocation!):

-Inviting followers of my work to join more structured community and network of collaborators to help, inform, and grow the Courtyard Urbanist project.

-Gathering advisors around the Courtyard Urbanist project to inform research, design, planning and development themes.

-Adding commercial services, with partners, such as design, planning and strategy advisory related to Courtyard Urbanist.

-Experimenting with tools, technology and collaborations to support communication and evolution of Courtyard Urbanist ideas and practices.

-Exploring a podcast format (surprise!) to see if this helps support the community, conversation, and these initiatives.

I am cautious but excited by the potential here, and am looking forward to learning from and being guided by experts, professionals and other enthusiasts -- including you. I don’t imagine that all of these efforts will work, or everyone will agree with the outcomes. Also, I don’t have all the resources I need yet, so support of all sorts including financial is welcome.

BUT I do believe it’s right to act, it’s what I believe in, and in the end, even while listening and collaborating, I will stand up for my own very firm beliefs about housing, cities, and the needs of families. As first step, and to welcome in the New Year, I am:

1) inviting everyone interested to be more informed and involved in the Courtyard Urbanist work to sign up via this Substack. This is partly a way of being able to share more timely updates, but also enabling feedback, discussion and collaboration. You’ll be invited in a sign-up survey indicate if you only want information, or if you want to explore more concrete collaboration. If you’ve already signed up to my Substack, you can use this link urbancourtyard.substack…

2) incrementally launching some tools, together with Treasury (treasury.space), a spatial design company founded by architects, and to help everyone to imagine and communicate, and ultimately plan and design, the urban courtyards they want to live in. See the image below for an example of the Courtyard Composer under development, with very special thanks to Arcol (

I will invite an initial group of testers from Substack community to help me evolve these tools, and then expand access to them in the coming weeks, in particular to see how Courtyard Urbanist themes and concepts can contribute the The New Aesthetic conversation ignited by Patrick Collison and Tyler Cowen. If you can’t or don’t want to do substack, write Courtyard Composer! in a reply to this tweet, and I’ll include include you as soon as I can!

So: I am looking forward to developing the Courtyard Urbanist conversation, and I hope you will appreciate the new ways to collaborate that I'm developing. Finally, please note: while I am confident in my voice & ideas, and I am becoming truly expert in the issues of urban courtyards, I am still very busy parenting and teaching! I hope you’ll receive my efforts positively and support them in whatever way as they unfold: becoming more visible on Twitter, and attempting to use my voice to influence real things in the built world, are both known to be risky! THANK YOU in advance for your grace and support. Here’s to a new year filled with Courtyard Urbanism, and shared progress towards a New Aesthetic!

Alicia