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 paper from the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, “Terrorism, Transit and Public Safety: Evaluating the Risks,” analyzes the overall safety of public transit, taking into account all risks, including recent terrorist attacks. The study by...
New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr. announced in late June that he would like to convert a short expressway segment near the Connecticut city’s downtown to a boulevard. Filling a sunken, less-than-one-mile section of the Route 34 Oak Street Connector...
The Urban Land Institute is going nationwide with a program that should make it easier for smart growth and new urban projects to win the governmental approvals they need.
Within the past three years, ULI has taken the lead in forming two regional...
Mission Meridian Village, a collection of 67 varied housing units along the Gold Line light-rail tracks in South Pasadena, California, opened in June and is expected to be completed and fully occupied by September.
The benefits promised by New Urbanism spring directly from its emphasis on walking as the main way of moving through the world. Where places are made genuinely walkable, private vehicle mileage likely will be reduced and public transit will...
The first houses are under construction at Villebois, a TND in Wilsonville, Oregon. Developer Costa Pacific Homes, which built the acclaimed Orenco Station in Hillsboro, Oregon, has gone to great lengths to secure federal funds for environmental...
Village Gardens, a TND in Lincoln, Nebraska, is in the groundbreaking stage and is slated to begin construction of residential units this fall. The Campbell family, which ran a nursery business on their 215-acre property for 90 years, decided to...
Jim Horne found a new hobby when he moved into Doe Mill (see photo), a TND in Chico, California. “After seeing Doe Mill, I wanted to see what else has been built using the same principles,” he says. Horne, who runs a family business manufacturing...
Portland, Oregon, is succeeding in its efforts to cut greenhouse gases — largely through public transportation and boosting pedestrian and bicycle activity, according to the New York Times. In 1993, Portland became the first local government to...
A new guide from Smart Growth America helps citizens understand elements of community design, the planning and site approval process for development projects, and how to make sure a plan or project offers benefits such as walkability, durable design...
Torti Gallas & Partners’ new Los Angeles office was scheduled to open September 1 with a staff of seven. Co-directors will be Neal Payton, AIA, in charge of conceptual design, and Charles Coleman III, RA, who will manage the office, says Laurie...
The Upper Rock District, which has been called the first plan to convert an existing suburban business park into a mixed-use neighborhood, has won approval from the City of Rockville, Maryland, council (see images above and on page 1). The 20-acre...