• Beyond resilience: Toward ‘antifragile’ urbanism

    Let’s embrace and empower the collective skill in producing beautiful and well-adapted habitat, which is evident throughout human history.
    Resilience is a hot topic in urbanism today—and understandably so, given the increasing prevalence of storms, floods, fires, heat waves, and other potential disruptions to urban well-being. But we might consider another level of organization beyond resilience—what has been termed “antifragility.”...Read more

  • Andean city is a model for water infrastructure and green space

    In Mendoza, Argentina, ancient acequias provide a green design element that transforms the city and has passed the test of time.
    Implementing green infrastructure widely in cities is never easy. Professionals and practitioners around the world face many challenges, including design standards (how to build the most efficient infrastructure?), regulatory (what policies are needed to promote green infrastructure throughout the...Read more

  • Connecting to a hidden natural asset

    A CNU Legacy Project explores the potential of an underutilized creek corridor that runs through more than dozen neighborhoods in Louisville, Kentucky.
    The South Fork of Beargrass Creek meanders through 13 or 14 diverse neighborhoods in Louisville, Kentucky, yet few nearby residents take much notice of the waterway. The creek has long been channelized, hidden, and used as part of the city’s stormwater system. During storm events, overflows often...Read more

  • The urban dimensions of climate change: Lessons for a New Urbanism

    Reining in sprawl is still the most important first step in transitioning to a more benign kind of settlement, and more responsible planning. Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is only one of many benefits—but it is a significant one.
    There is an intriguing paradox within the inventories of greenhouse gas emissions per capita—the emissions that each of us generates through our daily activities of moving, interacting, and consuming resources. Those who live in an average settlement in the United States consume and emit on average...Read more