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 sprawling and obsolescent 1980s-era business park in Pleasanton, CA, is being scrutinized for possible redevelopment as a transit oriented residential neighborhood centered on a BART station. The city brought in consultants, including Daniel...
More density, taller buildings and mixed uses. That’s city planning director Robert J. Scott’s prescription for the future growth and development of Virginia Beach. With the northern half of the community almost fully developed and a no-growth...
After a $250,000 public process aimed at adopting Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company’s SmartCode, the City of Vicksburg got cold feet. Mayor Laurence Leyens and other officials in the Mississippi city decided not to go forward with the SmartCode. As...
The second semiannual Urbanism Down Under gathering was held in Auckland, New Zealand, recently, attracting 400 participants, according to urban designer Chip Kaufman. The first event was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 2001. “There was a mix of...
Congress for the New Urbanism celebrates exemplary urbanism.
Whether it’s a new block of Berlin, Germany, a regional plan for the San Francisco Bay Area, or a freeway demolition in Milwaukee, this year’s Charter Award winners have something in...
Mid-May saw the opening of a two-level, 80,000 sq.ft. urban-format Home Depot store in Chicago, among speculation that the Atlanta-based retailer is poised to introduce similar outlets in other cities, including two locations in Manhattan: 23rd...
The suburban community of Ladysmith, Virginia, has a newly adopted master plan designed by Duany Plater-Zyberk. The plan for the 550-acre property includes 150,000 square feet of commercial space and four neighborhoods totaling 2,850 units including...
An article in the April issue of the Washington Monthly challenged the conventional wisdom that suburbs are safer than cities. Author Philip J. Longman cited a University of Virginia study that confirmed the higher risk of homicide at the hands of a...
Oakland and San Gabriel are the latest cities to benefit from the California Treasurer’s Sustainable Communities Grant and Loan Program, a $2.5 million fund to help local governments pursue smart growth initiatives. San Gabriel has received a $328,...
Evanston’s experience with downtown revitalization highlights a question that often arises in reviving commercial areas: Do chain retailers detract from local character?
Often local people erroneously think chain stores outnumber independent...
Leading architects discussed challenges to urbanism in Europe, and their solution, at the EuroCouncil’s inaugural meeting in Belgium.
“It’s time to move forward quickly to
change the world!” was Andres Duany’s proclamation at the April...
The first “re-charrette” in New Urbanism’s 11-year history will take place just before CNU XI. Though it is not officially part of the CNU program, organizers with Duany Plater-Zyberk and Company assure us that all Congress participants are welcome...