As a court planner, I am frequently involved in the initial planning stages of new courthouses. Clients often respond that incorporating daylighting is important when considering design goals. I couldn't agree more. In my view, one location offers the best potential for incorporating daylight—the...

About two years ago, I wrote in this space about the limitations of remote court proceedings.  A couple of recent experiences in court planning helped me realize how much and how quickly perspectives about remote court proceedings are changing. I’ll get to those in a moment, but first a bit of...

I recently read an interesting statistic that astounded me—the economic output of just six southern states surpassed that of the entire Northeast. Initially, I thought this was a very recent phenomenon, but it occurred for the first time in 2021, and the gap has expanded. In 2022, these six states...

Since I’ve worked as a courthouse planner for most of my career, the concept of universal design has been drilled into me. Universal design is the notion that, to the greatest extent possible, the built environment should provide an experience that accommodates all user groups, regardless of age,...

As a court planner, I am frequently faced with helping clients understand whether or not their historic courthouse is a viable long-term housing solution for them.  The challenges faced by courts who operate in older courthouses highlight a common dilemma that I see across the country.