• Sustainable urbanism at a glance

    Like a periodic table of urbanism, the Sustainable Urban Design Framework provides a comprehensive view of the relationships between policies and urban forms at all scales. The framework is the basis for a new Sustainable Urban Design Handbook.
    Nico Larco, professor of architecture and urban design at the University of Oregon and director of the Urbanism Next Center, presented the Sustainable Urban Design Handbook on On the Park Bench this week . Ten years in the making, the Handbook published by Routledge this year is organized around...Read more

  • Suburban retrofit with a focus on green

    Pike and Rose is a new transit-oriented downtown in Montgomery County, Maryland, with a botanical public realm.
    As the Washington Metropolitan region rapidly grows, most of the population increase is outside the core city. The more sustainable regional growth often turns underutilized parking and shopping areas into high-density, mixed-use living. Pike and Rose in Rockville, Maryland, is a leading example of...Read more

  • City looks to the stars for lighting policy

    Groveland, Florida, has adopted a Dark Sky Lighting ordinance that preserves views of the Milky Way, saves energy, and enhances streetscapes.
    Groveland, Florida, is a rapidly growing city west of Orlando, with a population that rose eightfold from 2000 to 2020. Without intervention, the Milky Way, now visible at night, would soon be obscured by light pollution like most suburban places. The city, which adopted Transect-based zoning in...Read more

  • Mapping 50-year resilience in a vulnerable region

    Just Imagine SWLA is a long-term resilience plan for Calcasieu and Cameron parishes in Louisiana. The Community Foundation Southwest Louisiana and Urban Design Associates won a 2024 CNU Charter Award in The Region: Metropolis, City, and Town category.
    Southwest Louisiana, comprising Calcasieu and Cameron parishes, is larger than Rhode Island or Delaware. The region is extremely low and vulnerable to sea-level rise and storm surge. The largest city, Lake Charles, is 30 miles inland and only 15 feet above sea level. Four federally designated...Read more