West Palm story
Twenty years ago, you could bowl on West Palm Beach's main street, Clematis, where 80 percent of the shopfronts were empty. Around the Florida downtown blocks and blocks had few or no buildings. Now Clematis and a newish waterfront park are packed with people, and the downtown also includes CityPlace, one of the most popular mixed-use centers in southern Florida. Thousands of new housing units have been created in buildings like those shown above. All have been guided by a downtown plan and code — one of the first form-based codes. This kind of New Urbanism blends in the with old and sometimes goes unrecognized as New Urbanism. See article and June issue.
For more in-depth coverage:
• Subscribe to Better! Cities & Towns to read all of the articles (print+online) on implementation of greener, stronger, cities and towns.
• See the June 2012 issue of Better! Cities & Towns.Topics: Michigan placemaking initiative, Affordable housing around transit, Unnoticed New Urbanism, Housing pressures in Massachusetts city, LA looks at displacement, Waiting for the recovery, Running bike-share, Homeownership and TND, Live-work planning, the Great Inversion, Freeway teardown.
• Get New Urbanism: Best Practices Guide, packed with more than 800 informative photos, plans, tables, and other illustrations, this book is the best single guide to implementing better cities and towns.
