• Street transformed in the wake of congestion pricing

    Tactical parklets that reclaim space for pedestrians are installed on 14th Street, Manhattan, with a 15-year lifespan.
    Manhattan congestion pricing is supporting new placemaking projects by easing neighborhood traffic. The 14th Street Promenade in the Meatpacking District, which was dedicated several weeks ago, is a good example. Five parklets were installed and linked along in a two-block section of the...Read more

  • How art launched New Urbanism, changing planning history

    The Art of the New Urbanism is more than a beautiful book—it tells the story of an urban planning movement through the lens of its drawing skills.
    When the New Urbanism began thirty-some years ago, its practitioners faced a steep uphill battle. Zoning codes across the US made it illegal to build walkable places (more so than today). The real estate finance system was heavily weighted towards single-use, suburban development. Traffic engineers...Read more

  • Guide for infill, pre-approved building plans

    An Ohio guidebook for facilitating infill development offers clear instructions for zoning reform and pre-approved plans, in addition to specific infill building plans.
    The median house sale price in Ohio is about $250,000 , which doesn’t sound too bad—it is 49th in the nation in housing costs. Still, home prices have doubled in the Buckeye State in the last 10 years, so Ohio is not immune to the nationwide housing affordability crisis, especially in communities...Read more

  • What New Urbanists can learn from The Villages

    We've learned how to design a good block. It's time for new urbanists to focus on the block party, says Fernando Pages Ruiz. The Villages have mastered that aspect of community building.
    Note: Fernando Pages Ruiz and Andres Duany will discuss lessons from the Villages in an On the Park Bench webinar on July 15, at 12 noon ET. The Villages, Florida, is the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the United States. That fact alone should prompt attention from planners. But there’s a...Read more