• A new model for walkable community colleges

    An innovative plan in Northwest Arkansas would convert a commuter campus to a 24-hour college community.
    Enrollment is declining at higher education institutions nationwide—community colleges, which grew by 4 percent in 2025, are an exception. Many students are turning to community colleges to avoid high student debt and get training in in-demand fields. Community colleges also tend to be the most...Read more

  • Mouzon: California Forever is true sustainability, not hype

    The plan for a city of 400,000 leads to the same outcomes as The Original Green, concludes urbanist Steve Mouzon.
    Architect and urban designer Steve Mouzon, author of The Original Green and a prominent New Urbanist, posted a lengthy piece this week endorsing California Forever, the plan for a new city between Sacramento and San Francisco. Mouzon explains how California Forever aligns with every principle that...Read more

  • Mixed-use village planned at rural crossroads

    The first CNU 2026 Legacy Project creates a plan for a mixed-use village in growing Northwest Arkansas.
    A plan was created for a 61-acre walkable, mixed-use village in Elm Springs, Arkansas, during a charrette this week. Located just west of the City of Springdale in the growing Northwest Arkansas metro area, Elm Springs downtown currently consists of commercial and industrial buildings at the...Read more

  • A statewide, build-ready catalog for missing-middle housing

    A Toolkit of the Vermont “Homes for All” initiative, a Charter Award-winning project in 2025, addresses regulatory barriers. Now, the state is creating a catalog of homes for manufactured missing-middle housing.
    For the past decade, Vermont planners have worked to legalize missing-middle housing. Duplexes are allowed. ADUs are permitted. Small multiplexes are back on the books. Yet in many places, nothing changes. The code says “yes,” but the housing market still says “maybe.” Projects remain expensive,...Read more