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.
Sarasota 2050 Plan, a ground-breaking regional analysis, calls for infill redevelopment, new villages, and open space preservation. Amajor regional plan nearing completion in Sarasota County, Florida, makes a fiscal case for the New Urbanism.
Project New Town is the provisional name for what could become Wisconsin’s largest development with a new urbanist pattern. The project is proposed for a 430-acre greenfield site in Sun Prairie and would include 1,600 residences, retail, and a...
St. Joe Company broke ground in September on Southwood, a 3,200- acre traditional neighborhood development (TND) project near Tallahassee, Florida.
A $115 million federal Hope VI project , the New East Capitol, is moving forward in Washington, DC. The project will consist of the demolition of 1,100 public housing units and construction of a mixed-income community of 555 units, a neighborhood...
St. Claire County, Illinois, is preparing plans for seven transit-oriented developments (TODs) adjacent to new Metrolink rail stops east of St. Louis. The TOD plans, by Woolpert, a design and engineering firm based in Cincinnati, include both infill...
The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded another $400 million in Hope VI housing grants (a total of $4 billion has been awarded since 1993).
Top-notch jury, competitive field for top honor in New Urbanism.
Following the success of the 2001 Charter Awards, nominations are open for the highest honor in New Urbanism. Unlike traditional architecture awards, Charter Awards are given to...
The Realtor Association of Greater Miami and the Beaches is pushing for reforms to make land assembly easier in Florida — an issue the trade group considers to be crucial to smart growth movement. The major obstacle to infill development is the lack...
In its heyday, Longview Farm in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, about 20 miles from downtown Kansas City, was one of the premier horse farms in the country. Seventeen of the original 40 buildings remain — all are listed on the National Register of Historic...
Education, outreach, interdepartmental coordination, and charrette-based community planning are among Rick Bernhardt’s chief tools for transforming Nashville’s planning department.
Ayear after new urbanist planner Rick Bernhardt took over the...
PolicyLink has released a new report. The 168-page Sharing the Wealth: Resident Ownership Mechanisms explains PolicyLink’s framework for equitable development, and details financial and economic tools to enable residents to participate in and...
The visually striking town center opened its doors five years ago — the first complete new urban town center — perhaps the first new US downtown in three quarters of a century. While its success is debatable, one thing is for sure — it can’t be...