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.
Paul Ostergaard, a principal in Urban Design Associates, will produce a pattern book containing controls and standards for Storrs Center, a mixed-use development to be built by Leyland Alliance adjacent to the University of Connecticut’s main campus...
The plans for a new South Dakota town for sign language users designed by new urbanists have been shelved in favor of the redevelopment of an existing town. The Town of Laurent, which received national media attention and was featured on page one of...
The US EPA’s office of Policy, Economics and Innovation is studying the effect of school location and urban form on transportation choices. It’s part of an effort to reform school design standards that contribute to sprawl. Travel to and from school...
Timothy Rood, who coordinated Louisiana’s post-hurricane planning as a principal at Calthorpe Associates, has left Calthorpe to become a partner in Community Design + Architecture in Oakland, California. He will continue consulting for Forest City...
The redevelopment of “Old Town” in Wichita, Kansas, and the revival of downtown Winooski, Vermont, were among five projects across the nation that won National Awards for Smart Growth Achievement from the US Environmental Protection Agency Nov. 15...
NorthPoint project combines pedestrian-oriented features and contemporary architectural expression.A 15-year project that calls for building 2,700 housing units and 2.2 million square feet of commercial space within walking distance of two rail...
York Township, Pennsylvania, approved a traditional neighborhood development (TND) ordinance in 2005 and now the municipality has five TND projects proposed, all adjacent and connected to one another, according to Will Selman, a new urbanist planner...
The Arlington County Board in northern Virginia has approved two new projects that are expected to help revitalize the Columbia Pike by following the Pike’s three-year-old form-based code. One project is Penrose Square, which will include a Giant...
With the CNU board of directors finishing up a revised strategic plan to help it identify and accomplish critical future goals — including improving CNU’s effectiveness at the regional level and in the education of design and development...
CNU board treasurer Stephanie Bothwell has been selected as the second Orton Family Foundation Fellow. This relatively new fellowship program supports land-use innovation efforts in an attempt to encourage new approaches to the land use planning...
The City of Moss Point, Mississippi, adopted the SmartCode and the plan from the Mississippi Renewal Forum for the redevelopment of downtown in October, a year after the forum. The adoption allows the city to apply for funds to move the city hall...
Governing named Ventura, California, City Manager Rick Cole one of the magazine’s “public officials of the year,” saying he “has excelled in both elected and appointed roles, promoting innovative mixed-use development that reflects community values...