• A pedestrian’s reckoning with a car-centric culture

    Seeing the world through the eyes of a pedestrian who has to walk everywhere reveals perspectives that drivers never notice.
    Ten years ago, I experienced what felt like the worst punishment imaginable: my car keys were taken away. Not because of a ticket or illegal activity, but due to a medical condition that made driving unsafe. In a culture built around the automobile, losing access to a car was more than just a...Read more

  • Urban building recycles rainwater

    The Sundial Building is nearing completion in Minneapolis, and architect Marques King has posted images and some of its features on LinkedIn. The building features a cool rainwater collection system that recycles approximately 90,000 gallons of water anticipated to fall on the roof annually,...Read more

  • Mississippi Renewal Forum, historic planning event, shaped the coast

    One of the biggest design charrettes in history, which took place 20 years ago this October, created plans that changed cities along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
    The Mississippi Renewal Forum was a landmark event of the Congress for the New Urbanism and one of the largest design charrettes ever organized. It began 20 years ago this week in Biloxi, lasting eight days, creating plans for eleven cities on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi that were devastated by...Read more

  • New life for Savannah Legacy Project

    CNU-sponsored plan shows how Southside Savannah could grow by retroffiting an abandoned mall and other sites across from a university campus.
    The Savannah Mall redevelopment/Southside town center plan is one of the more creative CNU Legacy Projects. It envisions the redevelopment of a large indoor shopping mall and other underutilized commercial properties by applying the classic, historic patterns of Savannah, Georgia. Due to the...Read more