Here’s this week’s selection of the best articles I’ve read over the past seven days.

• Do You See a Pattern? Witold Rybczynski, one of my favorite architects and urbanist (and Canadians) wrote this profile on one of the most important (and controversial) architectural theorists of the past half century, Christopher Pattern.  Pattern has inspired smart-growth advocates, counterculture DIY-ers, and computer programmers.

• The Teachings of Rome. An interesting article by Jay Walljasper on what the 3,000 year old city can teach new urbanists. Hint: it’s about ‘sense of place.’

• Diversity, crowds key to evolving communities. A short article by Neil Takemoto of Cooltown Studios looking at how crowds can create healthier, more vibrant, increasingly productive communities,

• Passenger rail needs to pay for itself? Take off the transportation blinders: Dave Zweifel of Madison‘s Capital Times debunks the myth that our love affair with the automobile are all paid for by highway. (via the blog, Sprawled Out: The Search for Community in the American Suburbs by John Michlig)

• Mixier Use. Nate Berg of Planetizen looks at mixed-use projects and decides that they could be even ‘mixier.”  He concludes that limiting our developments to a mix of two or three uses may not enough to create more active places.

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• Witold Rybczynski On The Four Paradigms of American Cities (treehugger.com)