• Hamburg New York

    Great Idea: Context-based street design

    Building thoroughfares as places of beauty and social interaction requires a context-based approach to design.
    In celebration of the 25th Congress for the New Urbanism , Public Square is running the series 25 Great Ideas of the New Urbanism. These ideas have been shaped by new urbanists and continue to influence cities, towns, and suburbs. The series is meant to inspire and challenge those working toward...Read more

  • Rethinking the future of state DOTs

    Here's six ways to transform communities and revitalize our economy by repurposing state departments of transportation, which are currently organized based on an outdated 1950s model.
    The modern state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) were created, by and large, in order to build the Interstate System and associated freeways . Most American roads were dirt until several decades into the 20th Century, and the idea that we needed specialized agencies created specifically to...Read more

  • Pontiac loop highlights a national infrastructure need

    Streets support commerce, social interaction, physical activity, recreation, and multimodal transportation—yet DOT funding criteria are stuck in the past.
    Pontiac, Michigan, is moving forward with plans to revert a 2.5-mile one-way loop to two-way traffic—a change that is projected to bring 200,000 square feet of retail and $55 million in annual sales to the City's distressed downtown. The plan, in the works for 15 years, was given a boost by a CNU...Read more

  • We need infrastructure that serves multiple purposes

    For National Infrastructure Week, here are priorities that meet transportation, economic, and livability needs.
    In recognition of National Infrastructure Week , we highlight some of our own and others’ work to identify priorities for national infrastructure spending. In some cases it really is high #TimetoBuild —in others, time to unbuild. Recently, CNU President and CEO Lynn Richards spoke with Grist...Read more