• In Pontevedra, Spain, closing ultra-busy streets to cars and creating pedestrian zones starting in 2000 has resulted in population growth, increased home values and a much higher birth rate compared to national averages. In 1950, there were no official “pedestrian zones” in the US or Europe, but by 1959 the first pedestrian zones were completed—one in Essen, Germany, and the other in Kalamazoo, Michigan. (Bloomberg)

• What are the 10 best large airports in the US in 2023? JD Power says:

  • Tampa International Airport (TPA)

  • John Wayne Airport, Orange County (SNA)

  • Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)

  • Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL)

  • Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU)

  • Sacramento International Airport (SMF)

  • William P. Hobby Airport (HOU)

  • Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY)

  • San Antonio International Airport (SAT)

  • Calgary International Airport (YYC)

• Over the past decade, ultra-wealthy individuals and their firms have more than doubled their investments in apartments, largely in the sector known in the US as multifamily housing. (BLOOMBERG)

• Florida has over 4,500 islands! And 8,346 miles of coastline.

• Wastewater systems typically are at the lowest point in the community and often flow by gravity. In many cases, if you have a really large storm, those are the ones that do get flooded first. All but two of the Lower 48 US states have seen an increase in the number of heavy downpours happening each year, on average, compared to the 1950’s. London is just completing a massive $5 billion new sewage infrastructure project. Big cities can absorb these massive costs more easily by raising rates. About 25% of the US population relies on septic tanks but these can be less effective when the water table is high. (FT)

• These are the least expensive US states to retire in: West Virginia, Mississippi, Iowa, Alabama, Missouri, Oklahoma, Indiana, Kansas, Wyoming, Arkansas. (BANKRATE)

• The 3 leading luxury car brands last year in terms of U.S. registrations were, in this order: Tesla (484,351), BMW (327,929) and Mercedes (269,511). Registrations of new luxury cars slipped 3.5% in 2022, slightly more than 2 million. Take surging Tesla out of the mix and the results are a luxury market down 11%, with higher lease pricing one factor….. that’s without the strike. But there’s been some rebound in 2023, and luxury vehicles had a fairly strong 18.8% share of the U.S. market in August.

• Have you noticed the volume of mega-chic spa’s opening around the world in ultra-luxe hotels? The Maybourne in Beverly Hills at the Montage is one example. Bulgari’s new hotel spa in Rome is a sight to behold. And if you like observing LUXE-flation, look no further: the spa menus don’t quote pricing anymore…..if you have to ask you should not be there, dummy! (FT)

HIDDEN COURTYARDS

What is more satisfying than strolling through Paris or Rome without a map and stumbling upon one of those magical cobbled courtyards filled with trees, vegetation, benches and gathering areas surrounded by charming-to-impressive architecture?

Courtyards have numerous benefits including improving ventilation (especially maximising cross-ventilation or the wind passing through your home or building), a source of more light, they connect humans to nature when visible year-round, they can serve as an extra ‘room’ shielded from high winds and direct sunlight, and they offer privacy and security. Often additions to homes are achieved by separation from an existing structure that creates a courtyard connecting the new ‘wing’.

Courtyards are a valuable element in architectural design and city planning, a place to gather and conect, and also to delight the senses.