Authenticity seems impossible today, with places and buildings that look like they could be anywhere, lacking harmony with nature and local culture. But designers can achieve authenticity through effective principles, and a dozen of them are listed here.

In communities across America sprawl is giving way to more diverse places. Here are a dozen keys to that trend.

Although community gardens are often the most unkempt area of the neighborhood, there is no reason that they can't be beautiful—and here are some ideas to make them so.