About Us

Townscape Architecture & Planning (formerly Urban Arts Inc.) was founded by architect and urbanist, Michael Huston.  His background includes a decade of designing educational facilities followed by a number of years devoted to downtown revitalization in Louisville, KY, working first with city government in urban design, historic preservation and neighborhood planning, and subsequently in partnership with a downtown developer specializing in adaptive re-use and urban mixed-use projects.

In 2012, having relocated to Miami, Florida, Huston joined the nationally recognized firm of DPZ CoDesign (Duany Plater-Zyberk) as a senior urban designer and project manager where he was employed for six years.  DPZ CoDesign has been a thought leader in the realm of urban design and is best known for designing the paradigm-shifting town of Seaside, Florida. While at DPZ he participated in over 50 urban design projects including master plans for downtown revitalization, transit-oriented development, neighborhood planning, sprawl repair, building type studies and form-based-codes.

In 2018, Huston moved to Saint Petersburg, Florida, where he advocated for pedestrian and bike infrastructure and other improvements to the civic realm. While a member of Car-Free St Pete he conceived of the STRAZA, a three-mile-plus pedestrian-priority loop through downtown St. Petersburg, a "grand idea" which has yet to be implemented.

In 2023 Huston moved to Lexington, Kentucky to be closer to family. He is eager to pursue work in the central Kentucky region and to advocate for a more walkable city. 

Huston has written several essays on architecture and urbanism which have appeared in on-line magazines including Planetizen, Common Edge and ArchDaily. 

Huston is a licensed architect in the states of Florida and Kentucky and a certified planner (AICP). He is also a LEED Accredited Professional and member of the Congress for the New Urbanism.

The word "Townscape" was coined by Gordon Cullen in his book, "The Concise Townscape". Cullen writes: "one building is architecture but two buildings is townscape". In this respect, townscape is nearly synonymous with the more common term "urban design" which involves the assemblage of buildings to define, enhance, and "activate" public open space. 

Our urban design services are guided by the following principles:

• The primary objective of good planning is to enhance quality of life. Once this is established, all other aspects of planning fall into place: economic development, social impact, education, health, transportation, recreation, and so on.
• We use the tools of urban design to add value to your project resulting in a competitive  advantage over conventionally planned projects.  We recognize that private sector projects must be profitable, otherwise they will never be realized.
• We design for all modes of transportation, including the often-overlooked pedestrian.
• We believe that design should enhance the beauty of the built environment.

Urban design and planning is a multidisciplinary endeavor.  Urban Arts values the input of related professions including planners, architects, landscape architects, economists and engineers.  We look forward to being part of your design team!