CNU 20 updates

CNU is excited to announce that UCLA’s Dr. Richard Jackson, the creator and host behind the PBS series Designing Healthy Communities, is set to deliver the Closing Plenary at CNU 20, along with Victor Dover and Elizabeth Moule.

As featured in a recent New York Times profile, Jackson’s work highlights sustainable American communities that should be models for new developments and community retrofits by placing a focus on the negative public health effects of sprawl. This complements CNU’s belief in the inextricable relationship between community design and the health and happiness of community members.

Come to CNU 20 and join the discussion, May 9-12, in West Palm Beach, FL.

West Palm Beach implements new trolley route for commuters, visitors

West Palm Beach, home of CNU 20, was just made a little more livable! City officials are using a $2 million federal grant for a new trolley route to run along Okeechobee Boulevard through downtown.

The route will be ideal for commuters who desire a faster, cleaner, and cheaper way to get downtown, as well as for visitors traveling to and from the downtown train and bus terminal. This new route will complement an already existing trolley path with hours of operation seven days of the week.

Jeri Muoio, mayor of West Palm Beach, hopes the expansion of the trolley system will unite commuters from peripheral neighborhoods into the downtown district. This new trolley will help facilitate safer streets for pedestrians, and lead to a cleaner city with less emissions due to decreasing vehicular use.

This new trolley route is a prime example of West Palm Beach being an ideal venue for CNU 20. The benefits of this new urbanist development can already be seen on the individual, community, and city level. And attendees of CNU 20 will not only be able to enjoy its convenience, but also take home the lessons of the trolley’s implementation as designs for their own communities.