• A trenchant critique of traffic engineering

    Charles Marohn points the way to reviving cities and towns through reform of the profession that builds the framework for sprawl.
    Charles Marohn, founder of Strong Towns, retired as a civil engineer in Minnesota at the end of last week. Marohn is not yet 50, has not practiced engineering in more than a decade, but maintained his credentials as one of the most prominent critics of traffic engineering of our time. He was caught...Read more

  • Micro-heroicism, Tulsa, and the DNA of CNU

    New urbanists need to recharge their commitment to a "micro-heroic" remapping of mid-century America—where immigrants, workers, and minorities now struggle to build sustainable communities.
    Editor's note: CNU and Yard & Company partnered with the Global District, a nonprofit affiliate with Main Street America, to create a Tactical Urbanism project and plan for Tulsa’s Global District , a center of international culture and business. The project is part of CNU’s commitment to leave...Read more

  • Receiver places: Planning for climate migration

    Receiver places, a term coined by urbanists for communities likely to gain migrants as climate problems grow, refers to not just physical places but also a process of preparing for change. “ Managed retreat ” is a related term, the other side of the coin to a receiver place. “Managed” implies that...Read more

  • The power of rails and trails

    The 12-foot-wide Blue Line Rail Trail was originally designed to provide emergency access to light rail stations along Charlotte’s Blue Line. “However, since the Blue Line began operating in late 2007, the Rail Trail has been added onto, studied, enhanced, formalized, and transformed,” according to...Read more