• A new urbanist and a green builder walk into a bar

    How might they empower each other to build walkable, decarbonized cities?
    Note: This piece was published on the Emerging New Urbanists substack. Say Jane, the Emerging New Urbanist, and Bob the Green Builder walked into a bar … how might the conversation unfold? Both individuals work in fields related to the built environment—urban planning and construction. They share a...Read more

  • Greenway connected TND in Georgia

    A series of small neighborhoods will be built with Missing Middle housing in a suburban part of Athens.
    It's good to see new variations on neighborhood-scale New Urbanism. The Shoals in Athens, Georgia, designed by Opticos on a challenging 90-acre site, is a little different from the usual TND (traditional neighborhood development) due to the layout and focus on Missing Middle rentals. Not only is...Read more

  • How much do your streets design YOU into them?

    The key to safer and more pleasant streets that add value to downtowns is to slow traffic.
    Nearly all of us have had the experience of feeling unsafe walking down the street as cars zip by, or noticed some higher-than-desired speeds in our neighborhoods. Commenting about a lack of pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure, and high car speeds is a perennial statement at community meetings...Read more

  • Compact urbanism more resilient than sprawl

    We can lower our vulnerability to climate change by promoting more compact, walkable communities instead of sprawling development.
    Climate change is not just a problem of carbon in the atmosphere and its impacts. It also relates to the built environment. Because, as temperatures and sea levels have risen over the last century, we have made ourselves more vulnerable by building sprawl. Automobile-oriented development tends to...Read more