• Mercado District

    A timeless place from the ground up
    The Mercado District, once leveled by urban renewal, is fast becoming one of Tucson’s most significant hubs. With it, the Mercado San Augistin—the district’s first commercial building—has flourished, bringing in top chefs and bartenders and specialty shops. Illustrative plan for Mercado District...Read more

  • Clarendon Center

    Mixed-use density in a suburban center
    Building density that supports walkable urban centers is a key strategy of new urbanists—but this goal is challenging in already built-out suburbs. Existing conditions, space constraints, zoning restrictions, and long approval processes often present obstacles. Despite those barriers, Arlington,...Read more

  • Baldwin Park

    Reknitting the urban fabric
    In the mid-1990s, the City of Orlando faced the closure of the 1,100-acre Naval Training Center, two miles from downtown. The easiest reuse option for the land would have included big box stores, an office park, and/or suburban housing pods. Instead, the city took the unprecedented step of striving...Read more

  • Birmingham, Michigan, downtown revival

    A small city embraces walkability and reverses decline
    After three decades of 20th century population loss and commercial decline, Birmingham, Michigan, committed to building a new identity: “The Walkable Community.” Now, thanks to forward-thinking planning across multiple sectors, the city has grown steadily since the turn of the millennium—even in...Read more