• Building tall where it counts

    Embracing neighborhood change to address the housing crisis.
    America is experiencing a housing crisis! While this crisis affects communities across the country, it is most pronounced in and near a few major cities. There, housing supply has failed to keep up with growing demand for decades, resulting in prices that are out of range for even middle-class...Read more

  • Project shows potential of inner-block development

    Quiet, intimate urban places in the center of blocks may be built if land-use regulations allow.
    Earl's Court is an infill development in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, that is only a little over an acre in size. And yet, this tiny mixed-use project points to an opportunity for new urbanists going forward. In recent decades, urbanists have focused mostly on using architecture to define the...Read more

  • Developer minimizes car use in community plan

    A national developer who is subordinating automobiles has proposed a significant mixed-use community along the Beltline in Atlanta.
    Note: This article was revised to include more plan details (11/4/22). The national developer, Culdesac, is bringing its car-light community designs to Atlanta, Georgia. The 20-acre site on the Atlanta Beltline includes a mostly residential area that is car-free, while also incorporating parking...Read more

  • Why malls are a bad public investment

    A failed mall is bringing down a neighborhood in Milwaukee, highlighting the advantages of more sustainable retail.
    Note: This article first appeared on Strong Towns .​ Public Square editor Robert Steuteville is on leave through the last week of October. Big investments can bring about big problems. Take the shopping mall , for instance: Built on the appealing premise of housing a bunch of commercial businesses...Read more