CNU’s Sprawl Retrofit Initiative, developed by our members, works to repair and retrofit sprawling suburban developments into the vibrant, high-performing walkable places that are growing in popularity. The following resources provide toolkits, case studies, strategies, and policies for individuals and organizations interested in retrofitting sprawl.
CNU's Resources
- Sprawl Retrofit Presentation - This presentation provides an overview for the reasons to retrofit sprawl and outlines some of the techniques for implementation (PLEASE NOTE - this document is large and may take a few minutes to load.)
- Unbearable Cost of Sprawl - A white paper by the Sprawl Retrofit Initiative that reviews the challenges, myths and principles of restructuring sprawl development.
- Suburban Office Parks Webinar by Ellen Dunham-Jones, for EcoBuildingPulse.
Recommending Readings
- The Smart Growth Manual by Andres Duany, Jeff Speck, Mike Lydon, 2009.
- Retrofitting Suburbia: Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs by Ellen Dunham-Jones, June Williamson, 2011.
- Sprawl Repair Manual by Galina Tachieva, 2010.
- A Legal Guide to Urban and Sustainable Development for Planners, Developers and Architects by Daniel Slone, Doris Goldstein, with Andrew Gowder, 2008.
- Redesigning Cities: Principles, Practice, Implementation by Jonathan Barnett, 2003.
- Place Making: Developing Town Centers, Main Streets, and Urban Villages by Charles Bohl, 2002.
- Sustainable and Resilient Communities: A Comprehensive Action Plan for Towns, Cities and Regions by Stephen Coyle, 2011.
- Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design with Nature by Douglas Farr, 2008.
- Bourgeois Utopias by Robert Fishman, 1987.
- The Great Reset: How New Ways of Living and Working Drive Post-Crash Prosperity by Richard Florida, 2010.
- Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States by Kenneth Jackson, 1985.
- Light Imprint Handbook: Integrating Sustainability and Community Design by Thomas Low, 2010.
- The Great Good Place: Cafés, Coffee Shops, Community Centers, Beauty Parlors, General Stores, Bars, Hangouts, and How They Get You through the Day. by Ray Oldenburg, 1997.
- Greyfields into Goldfields: Dead Malls become Living Neighborhoods by Lee Sobel, 2002.
Online Resources
Concepts
- Build a Better Burb
- Center for Applied Transect Studies
- Red Fields to Green Fields Initiative
- PARK(ing) Day
- Strong Towns Curbside Chat Booklet
Policies
- Long Island Index
- Mid-America Regional Council’s First Suburbs Coalition(Kansas City)
- Regional Plan Association of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, program on Community Design
Tools
- Walk Score
- The Cost of Sprawl
- Center for Transportation Technology Housing + Transportation Affordability Index
Articles
- Community design, street networks, and public health by Garrick Norman, Daniel Piatkowski, Wesley Marshall, August 2014.
- Compact, Walkable, Diverse Neighborhoods:Assessing Effects on Residents by Emily Talen, Julia Koschinski, February 2014.
- The death and rebirth of the mall. You don’t drive there, you live there by Dave MgGinn, July 2013.
- Interview of Ellen Dunham-Jones about retrofitting suburbia by Christina Hernandez Sherwood, March 2013.
- From Sprawlvilles to Sustainable Suburbs: Ideas to Attract Private-Sector Investment in Suburban Improvement Projects in an Era of Reduced Public Support by Errol Cowan, February 2013.
- Interview of Ellen Dunham-Jones about big design project for the next generation by Matt Bevilacqua, February 2012.
- Sprawl retrofit: sustainable urban form in unsustainable places by Emily Talen, November 2011.
- Beyond Foreclosure: The Future of Suburban Housing by Aron Chang, September 2011.
- Sprawl Repair: What It Is and Why We Need It by Galina Tachieva, October 2010.
- From sprawl to complete communities - extract from Sprawl Repair manual by Galina Tachieva, 2010.
- The Need for Alternatives to the Nineteen Standard Real Estate Product Types by Christopher Leinberger, 2005.
- The Next 100 Million by Arthur Nelson, Robert Lang, January 2007.
- Growing Sustainable Suburbs: An Incremental Strategy for Reconstructing Sprawl by Lucien Steil, Nikos Salingaros, Michael Mehaffy, 2007.
- Retrofitting Suburbia by Ellen Dunham-Jones, 2005.
- Hidden in Plain Sight: Capturing the Demand for Housing near Transit by Center for Transit-Oriented Development (CTOD), September 2004.
- Seeking Urbane Parking Solutions by Neal Payton and Brian O'Looney, 2006.
- The Anatomy of Sprawl by Brenda Case Scheer, 2001.