• Turning a ‘stroad’ into a street

    “Stroad” is a term coined by Strong Towns’ Chuck Marohn to describe the poorly designed commercial streets found in conventional suburban environments across America. These thoroughfares are part street, part road, hence the name stroad, and perform neither function very well. Redesigning such...Read more

  • Calculating ‘induced demand’

    Recently the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) created a very simple tool that is long needed: A calculator of “induced demand” in transportation . This is the economic concept that applies when supply increases, price declines, and therefore demand for goods rises. Most notably and controversially,...Read more

  • Contemporary Vernacular: A style for everyday city life

    Some “Contemporary Vernacular” buildings try too hard to be noticed. Others are playful, elegant, and worthy contributors to the "Comic scene" in urban neighborhoods and city centers.
    This is Part 2 of a 2-part series. See Part 1 here. “Developer Chic,” “Fast Casual,” “LoMo” (for low Modernism), and “Boxy” are all epithets critical of the architectural building types and style of many recent, mixed-use residential buildings. Clearly pejorative, it needs to be asked; are the...Read more

  • Complete Streets policy designed for implementation

    With CNU’s technical help, Evansville adopted a Complete Streets ordinance that includes tight deadlines and metrics so staff can make a difference.
    The City of Evansville, Indiana, recently adopted an exceptional Complete Streets policy with the help of a CNU code audit and the support of AARP and other organizations. Complete Streets policies have been adopted by more than 1,600 jurisdictions nationwide since 2000. Such laws have tended to be...Read more