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.
The proposed 136-unit Cityside residential development in Atlantic City will utilize Frank Lloyd Wright’s original American System-Built Homes as a design basis, making the project the first comprehensive development in the United States to use this...
Farr and Associates, a new urbanist architecture firm in Chicago, Illinois, has designed a new downtown for Swansea, Illinois called Swansea Town Center, which links the village with a MetroLink station to be built on the light-rail line connecting...
annual congress
An ambitious agenda includes the exploration of ways to promote and sustain an urban renaissance in the 21st Century.
This year the Congress for the New Urbanism will convene its seventh annual conference, CNU VII:...
It was good to hear the Clinton administration weigh in on the sprawl issue, unveiling a “Livability Agenda.” Vice President Al Gore outlined the proposal in early January, which includes a host of initiatives.
These include: tax credits of $700...
Developers pursue their 12-year dream of building a town.
New urbanist (NU) developments, with their interconnected streets and mix of uses are unusual by conventional development standards. Even by NU standards, Mashpee Commons occupies a world...
Gaithersburg, Maryland recently adopted a Smart Growth Policy which expands on the Neighborhood Preservation and Smart Growth Initiative passed by the State of Maryland in 1997. The Policy establishes local guidelines for Smart Growth based on the...
Middleton Glen, a senior independent living facility, is slated for fall, 1999, completion in the 149-acre Middleton Hills traditional neighborhood development (TND) in Madison, Wisconsin. Essex Corporation, the developer of the three-storey, 55-...
An innovative public/private partnership between Bechtel Enterprises and local agencies in Portland, Oregon has been formed to build the $125 million, 5.5 mile light rail extension connecting downtown to the airport, scheduled for completion by 2001...
The American Institute of Architects recently created a Center for Livable Communities, which is directed by Stephanie Bothwell, a long-time new urbanist.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is looking at giving regulatory breaks to a downtown Atlanta development on the basis that the project will reduce long-term pollution compared to sprawling suburban construction. The redevelopment of the...
Town Planning Collaborative and HomeStyles Publishing and Marketing recently released the third volume in their groundbreaking TND Series, which provides plans for a variety of neotraditional building types — single family detached homes, both large...
The National Town Builders Association offers information on existing and planned traditional neighborhood developments nationwide at its Web site, www.townbuild.com. The Web site includes images and plans for many of the projects.