• Lessons from the (last) recession

    The post-COVID-19 economy will mean hardship for communities and urbanists, but also will create opportunities and innovation.
    Note: We are taking CNU 28.Twin Cities online to host a virtual Congress to be held from June 10-13, 2020 that will include 55-70 sessions and a number of pre-Congress webinars. Registration is open for CNU 28 . The Great Recession had a devastating impact on urbanists—architects, developers, and...Read more

  • Why downtown retail is coming back

    Even as e-commerce takes market share and national chain stores close, demographic shifts have created a growth market for downtown retail and mixed-use.
    This is one of a series of ongoing Public Square articles on the market, technological, and cultural transformation of the $5 trillion retail industry—and how it relates to a continued shift toward walkable, urban living. In 1964, British pop singer Petula Clark released Downtown , a number one hit...Read more

  • Problems and solutions for main street retail

    Shopability studies for two Florida cities illustrate the potential and hurdles for many American small-to-midsize downtowns.
    Note: This is one of a series of ongoing Public Square articles on the market, technological, and cultural transformation of the $5 trillion retail industry—and how it relates to a continued shift toward walkable, urban living. People love a main street, but the tired, dated look and incomplete...Read more

  • Aging with place and the ‘silver tsunami’

    The oldest baby boomers have crossed the 70-year old threshold, and this generation was the first to live their entire lives in a car-dependent society. Many are looking to move to an urban setting.
    While grocery shopping recently I witnessed a person roughly my age helping her mother shop. I couldn’t immediately identify her mother’s ailment or reason for needing help, and little did I know I’d be doing the same thing for my own mother this week following her eye surgery. The “silver tsunami...Read more