• State moves forward with zoning reform

    A bill moving through Vermont legislature adopts key zoning reform measures for walkable communities, even as the state recently completed a report with CNU on incremental changes to land use laws.
    Like many states, Vermont has many communities with outdated zoning that worsen housing affordability problems. The median price of a house in Vermont has risen rapidly since 2016 and now is $261,000, according to Zillow. The state recently worked with CNU on a how-to guide on zoning reform ...Read more

  • New guide offers communities a path to zoning reform

    CNU teams with the State of Vermont to promote incremental steps to housing access and affordability in communities of all sizes.
    The Congress of the New Urbanism (CNU) worked with the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to complete Enabling Better Places: A Zoning Guide for Vermont Neighborhoods . This how-to manual, part of CNU’s Project for Code Reform , promotes practical, small steps for...Read more

  • State-of-the-art code for a walkable city

    In its new form-based code, Somerville ditches a Model T zoning engine and adopts 21st Century green design. The code won a 2020 CNU Charter Award in the Metropolis, City, and Town category for the City of Somerville.
    Somerville, Massachusetts, recently adopted a state-of-the-art form-based code that brings together much of the wisdom that urbanists have acquired over the last 30 years. Remarkably, the code was largely written by in-house city planners, who include skilled urbanists with many years of experience...Read more

  • Best practices in land-use codes recognized

    The Driehaus Form-Based Code Award, to be announced at CNU 28 in June, is accepting nominations until April 17.
    The Richard H. Driehaus Form-Based Codes Award has recognized exemplary form-based codes for more than a decade. It’s garnered more than 100 submissions since its inception and continues to provide examples of best practices in urbanism and smart growth. One lesson we take away from this program is...Read more