• Finding your farm

    How to get started in small-scale development.
    Whether you’re a seasoned urbanist or a relatively new urbanist, you may have heard the terms “small-scale development” or “incremental housing”, but have wondered what it is or how to get started. I’ve been following three leaders in the field of urban-friendly development and I’m impressed with...Read more

  • CNU kicks off its 2026 Legacy Projects

    Three urban design projects this month aim to leave a lasting mark on Northwest Arkansas, the site of CNU 34 in May.
    CNU kicks off its 2026 Legacy Projects this coming week in Northwest Arkansas (NWA). They start with a charrette at Elm Springs, a small town to the west of Springdale, one of the region’s primary cities. The New Urbanist team led by TSW Design , with support from ZVA and DPZ, will work with the...Read more

  • The value of a ‘master street plan’

    Why wouldn't you design every city plan and every suburb with a tightly connected pattern of streets and blocks?
    Note: This week I posted a commentary on the importance of starting with a street grid and how this disappeared from city planning. This piece by David Green explores the disconnect between the value of master street plans and the ongoing opposition to their creation, and how this came to be. It...Read more

  • Learning from the planners of old

    Street networks. Just Do It.
    A meme posted by a New Urbanist touches upon an important truth about how we build communities today, and why it is so difficult to create good places. New Urbanists are very good at designing great urban places—not as good, so far, at getting them built at the scale that is necessary to meet...Read more