• Mixed-use village planned at rural crossroads

    The first CNU 2026 Legacy Project creates a plan for a mixed-use village in growing Northwest Arkansas.
    A plan was created for a 61-acre walkable, mixed-use village in Elm Springs, Arkansas, during a charrette this week. Located just west of the City of Springdale in the growing Northwest Arkansas metro area, Elm Springs downtown currently consists of commercial and industrial buildings at the...Read more

  • A statewide, build-ready catalog for missing-middle housing

    A Toolkit of the Vermont “Homes for All” initiative, a Charter Award-winning project in 2025, addresses regulatory barriers. Now, the state is creating a catalog of homes for manufactured missing-middle housing.
    For the past decade, Vermont planners have worked to legalize missing-middle housing. Duplexes are allowed. ADUs are permitted. Small multiplexes are back on the books. Yet in many places, nothing changes. The code says “yes,” but the housing market still says “maybe.” Projects remain expensive,...Read more

  • Right street, right place

    Don’t accept a one-size-fits-all street design for your city or town, or a highway design for your Main Street. Street designs that fit the context lead to better neighborhoods and communities.
    I’ve been noticing something more and more when I travel; while on a road trip, the design of the pavement will be the same regardless of what is around me. A highway surrounded by nature leads to a strip mall area, then to a residential neighborhood, then to a main street, and the only thing that...Read more

  • Finding your farm

    How to get started in small-scale development.
    Whether you’re a seasoned urbanist or a relatively new urbanist, you may have heard the terms “small-scale development” or “incremental housing”, but have wondered what it is or how to get started. I’ve been following three leaders in the field of urban-friendly development and I’m impressed with...Read more