• Lessons from ‘car-free’ Culdesac

    Nationally recognized Culdesac Tempe is living up to its hype—the question is to what extent cities will get out of the way to allow this to happen elsewhere.
    Phase 1 of Culdesac Tempe has been occupied for a year and a half, with phase 2 under construction. This closely watched 15-acre project on the Valley Metro light rail line indicates that car-free living is economically, socially, and environmentally viable, even in the heart of car culture—the...Read more

  • Bringing back the lost art of Main Street buildings

    Small-scale mixed-use buildings are popular in Norton Commons, a new urbanist community in Louisville; here’s the latest example.
    All over America, commercial districts are filled with small, 2- to 3-story buildings with commercial spaces on the first floor below residential units. These standard Main Street buildings, often made of brick, have been dubbed “live works” in recent decades. Live-work buildings are like mixed-use...Read more

  • Legacy Projects poised to make a difference

    Reports from Legacy Projects highlight the potential of Norwood, Xenia, Amelia, and Camp Washington, Ohio.
    CNU’s 2024 Legacy Projects reports highlight the long-term potential and a wide range of solutions for the Cincinnati region, where the Congress was held in May of this year. The Legacy Projects start about six months before the annual CNU Congress. They leverage CNU’s planning and design expertise...Read more

  • Apartments that engage the street

    Stoops, dooryards, and porches make more engaging street frontages for apartments than the typical common lawn.
    Urban apartment buildings have made great strides in engaging adjacent streetscapes over the last 25 years. On primary streets, building amenities allow for commercial-like frontages and expanses of glass storefronts. On residential streets, the ground-floor apartments often directly access the...Read more