Archives
Welcome to the archives of Better Cities & Towns, a publication founded by Robert Steuteville as New Urban News in 1996. This archive holds two decades of the best news and analysis on compact, mixed-use growth and development, from 1996 to 2015.
A form-based code was adopted in Ketchum, Idaho, recently. It was prepared through a collaboration between the city RBF Consulting’s urban design studio, and the Tom Company. The code was created in conjunction with a downtown master plan, Al...
Stormwater management proposals that came out of a new urbanist charrette in the Gentilly section of New Orleans began to be acted upon in December — though not in Gentilly itself. Timberland, the outdoor shoe and clothing merchandiser, offered...
A 200-acre former office campus of Agilent Technologies in Rohnert Park, California, is being redeveloped into a new urban town center by shopping center developer Codding Enterprises. Sonoma Mountain Village will include 1,900 residential units...
Architect Patrick Pinnell produced a design in Simsbury, Connecticut, that aims to fit a 128,000 sq. ft. store into a walkable, mixed-use setting — one that would feature streets with housing over retail, live-work units, and a traffic roundabout...
The St. Joe Company is having trouble getting buyers of lots in two Florida Panhandle developments, WaterSound Beach and WaterColor, to build houses within three years of their purchase, according to The New York Times. Many lots have been sold at...
Andrews University students recently created a new urban plan for a small community in Harrison County, Mississippi, that is experiencing significant growth in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Saucier, which has about 200 people in its village center...
Harriet Tregoning, a long-time leader in smart growth, was recently named the director of planning in Washington, DC. An ally of new urbanists, Tregoning helped to establish the Smart Growth Network at the EPA, then served as a cabinet-level...
Leland Speed has stepped down as executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority, a position in which he worked on the redevelopment of communities damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
The SmartCode cleared a hurdle in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where it was approved by the planning commission in December. Pass Christian was one of the communities on the coast devasted by Hurricane Katrina.
The Whole House Building System is off to a good start, producing complete townhouses and detached dwellings in a traditional neighborhood development (TND) setting.
Urban Design Associates (UDA) has been selected to prepare the rebuilding plan for the Lafitte, Treme, and Tulane-Gravier neighborhoods in New Orleans. Providence Community Housing of New Orleans and Enterprise Homes of Baltimore, commissioned UDA...
Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland is collaborating with two local developers, MRN Limited Partnership and Zaremba Inc., to create a $150 million arts, retail, and residential development on 8.5 acres at University Circle, the city’s...