• Lessons from a successful suburban center

    The Village of Providence shows how you can create a strong place out of nowhere in two decades.
    I recently visited the Village of Providence in Huntsville, Alabama, for the Urban Guild Summit . Providence is a Charter Award-winning traditional neighborhood development (TND) designed in the early 2000s by DPZ CoDesign, and it is just a nice place to be. While there for three days, I had no car...Read more

  • Creative townhome design in Birmingham

    Townhouses facing courtyards that are perpendicular to the street improve the quality of life for this building type.
    As townhouses gain popularity due to rising housing costs, creative designs allow this building type to appeal to more buyers. Avenue A Townhomes in Birmingham, Alabama, turn this common housing type into something great. On a 1.5-acre former industrial site, Nequette Architecture & Design...Read more

  • Office space conversion could lead to a virtuous cycle for cities

    Christopher Leinberger and Rebecca Rockey explain the historic opportunity to rebalance the real estate in urban centers.
    Cities need to “get real” and promote office building conversions to live- and play-oriented uses to avoid a structural “doom loop,” Christopher Leinberger and Rebecca Rockey told CNU’s On the Park Bench participants. The good news is that downtown office conversions are feasible in two ways: 1)...Read more

  • Wrapping up a landmark new urban neighborhood

    Two handsome four-story buildings are on the final lots to be built in Glenwood Park, a Charter Award-winning neighborhood in Atlanta.
    Designed in 2001, Glenwood Park in Atlanta won a Charter Award in 2003 for its plan to transform a former industrial site into a new neighborhood. Historical Concepts designed and is developing a pair of mixed-use buildings to complete the project. Glenwood Park is located on the Atlanta Beltline,...Read more