• Sidewalk cafes: Silver bullets for walkable places

    When someone walks along a street, they’re gone in a moment. But when they sit down to a meal, they might be there for an hour or more. Because of this, the sidewalk cafe is the most powerful tool to enhance people’s desire to walk in a place.
    The most important thing about building a place with high Walk Appeal isn’t anything we build, nor is it about walking. Of all the factors that entice us to walk in a place, the strongest one is likely the presence of other people. When someone walks along a street, they’re there for a moment, and...Read more

  • Local innovation makes Main Street a town square

    The Storefront Theater is a unique and creative use of a vacant space in a small-town Main Street.
    Main Street in Lyons, Nebraska, has suffered like the heart of many small towns across America as shops have closed—losing customers to declining population and replaced by distant big-box stores. With the ingenuity of a conceptual artist and built by local craftspeople in 2015, The Storefront...Read more

  • CNU 25: Highlights from the silver anniversary

    Fourteen hundred top land-use professionals, public officials, and citizens gathered in Seattle last week to discuss the future of cities.
    Last week was the 25th annual Congress for the New Urbanism in Seattle, where 1,400 city planners, architects, developers, economists, and mayors from around the world gathered to discuss the future of cities. Hosted in collaboration with the Urban Land Institute , comprised of an additional 6,000...Read more
  • CNU 24.Detroit City As Platform - Brick & Beam

    City as Platform: More than a Tour

    City as Platform is more than a tour, and more than just a conference session—it is a hands-on, collaborative learning experience in the field.
    First debuted at CNU 24 in Detroit, City as Platform will make an encore appearance at CNU 25.Seattle on Saturday, May 6, 2017. Thanks to the support of over 30 Seattle-based organizations and our local host committee, Congress attendees can join local organizations and community leaders for a day...Read more