• School bridges both sides of the tracks

    Brookline High School Expansion knits the urban fabric with public school buildings that enhance the public realm in Brookline, Massachusetts. William Rawn Associates won a 2024 CNU Charter Award in the Block, Street, and Building category.
    Brookline High School is unusual—not a single building but a campus spread across several sites grouped around a historic park. Cypress Field is one of the first US municipal parks established as a playground, part of a park system planned by Brookline-based Frederick Law Olmsted Sr. The high...Read more

  • Meeting 21st Century goals on a 19th Century ‘poor farm’

    Veridian at County Farm is a compact neighborhood model of sustainability and affordability in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Union Studio and THRIVE Collaborative won a Merit Award as an Emerging Project in the 2024 CNU Charter Awards.
    On a former county poor farm in the City of Ann Arbor, Michigan, about two miles from downtown, a new sustainable neighborhood with affordable housing is under construction. Unlike most new developments, Veridian at County Farm is designed as a community that is connected to local agriculture and...Read more

  • Reusing a cannery, connecting to the bayou

    Trappey and Bayou Vermilion Waterfront District Vision Plan will revitalize a waterfront and reuse a vacant industrial site in Lafayette, Louisiana. Lake|Flato Architects won a Merit Award for an Emerging Project in the 2024 CNU Charter Awards.
    For three decades, the vacant Trappey cannery on the Vermilion River deteriorated, but thanks to community stakeholders, private developers, and the City of Lafayette, this prime site will become a new neighborhood. The old factory buildings will be incorporated into the 22-acre mixed-use community...Read more

  • Smart streetscape to pilot mobility program

    Smart Streets Design Plan creates a model for better streetscapes and mobility. Buffalo’s Office of Strategic Planning and Stantec won a Merit Award for Emerging Projects in the Neighborhood, District, and Corridor category of the 2024 CNU Charter Awards.
    Washington Street in downtown Buffalo, New York, lacks luster in its appearance and function. Few trees and amenities offer respite along frequently cracked sidewalks. The curb-to-curb zone is mostly designed for motor vehicles; occasional crosswalks are poorly marked. “Cobra” fixtures glare...Read more