• A code transforms a commercial strip corridor

    “Thanks to skilled designers, a clear, implementable code, and a truly capable client, this plan is getting built, and well.”
    First built over 200 years ago as a toll road connecting Washington DC to greater Virginia, Columbia Pike now serves as a direct route to the Pentagon and other capital landmarks. Until recently, this Arlington, Virginia, thoroughfare was an aging commercial strip stifled by outdated zoning...Read more

  • Suburbs opt for urban streetscapes

    Some suburbs are building an entire urban downtown from scratch to provide a unique identity and appeal.
    Many suburbs are retrofitting to include walkable urbanism, but a few are building an entire urban downtown from scratch. The Fall 2016 edition of Development Magazine , published by the NAIOP, the national commercial real estate association, reports on three municipalities across the nation that...Read more

  • New streetscape spurs downtown turnaround

    In Lancaster, California, a simple change in street design was a catalyst for economic and social activity.
    The City of Lancaster, California, converted a drab, automobile-oriented arterial at the heart of downtown into a lively, pedestrian-friendly center. The nine-block makeover of Lancaster Boulevard has become a regional draw and attracted significant economic development in its first two years. In a...Read more

  • Macy's closings—another bad sign for malls

    The announcement creates holes in enclosed shopping malls—meanwhile the department store chain is looking to open downtown locations.
    Macy's is closing 100 stores nationwide —and the vast majority are located in auto-centric suburban shopping malls. Amid these closures, the department store chain reported that it looking at opening three downtown stores in New York, Chicago, and Minneapolis. In many ways, we are seeing a reversal...Read more