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.
Four three-story buildings with housing in their upper floors and retail or office space at ground level are under construction facing the square in Haile Village Center, a widely admired new urban development in Gainesville, Florida. Those and 13...
The organizational meeting of the Seaside Pienza Society for Town Building and Land Stewardship took place in July in Pienza, Italy. The mission of the organization is to explore “how beautiful agricultural lands can be saved from sprawl and how...
California has many excellent examples of new urban infill, yet until recently has lacked examples of neighborhood-scale projects, especially in the suburbs.
Through the 1990s in the Golden State, New Urbanism has influenced the design of many...
Laurence Qamar, formerly a principal and lead designer with Lennertz Coyle & Associates, has started his own architecture and town planning consulting practice in Portland, Oregon.
Lawyers unite: A group of CNU member attorneys met at CNU X, and they are continuing their communication via e-mail. To join their e-mail list, write to cnu-attorneys-subscribe@topica.com. CNU staff will confirm your membership status and activate...
Bay Area Rapid Transit entered a partnership with the City of Richmond, California, and a private developer to create a $100 million transit-oriented neighborhood. The Richmond Transit Village, planned by Calthorpe Associates, will consist of 231...
Millennium Place, a downtown Boston mixed-use project that won an award at CNU X, earned praise in the Boston Globe this summer because, according to architecture critic Robert Campbell, “It understands that city life is street life.” In a July 14...
The Sustainable Buildings Industry Council has developed a guidebook for homebuilders titled Green Building Guidelines: Meeting the demand for low-energy, resource-efficient homes. Contact: (202) 628-7400 or see www.sbicouncil.org.
Empire, a village in the “little finger” of Michigan northwest of Traverse City, is growing the old-fashioned way — with an extension of its traditional grid of streets, alleys, and predominantly 50-foot-wide lots.
The Seaside Institute will expand its services to developers, and the National Town Builders Association (NTBA) will focus more on public policy issues and lobbying.
Here are some of Jacobs, Macdonald, and Rofé’s recommendations on what a multiway boulevard should have if it is to perform well for pedestrians:
• Uninterrupted median strips should separate the through lanes in the center of the boulevard from...
Mark Brodeur, founding principal of Urban Design Studio, has joined RRM Design Group. He will be heading up the firm’s new San Juan Capistrano office, and will continue to specialize in downtown revitalization, design guidelines, and other re-use...