• House hacking: Urbanism at its smallest and most personal

    The smallest scale of the Charter of the New Urbanism is the building, and the smallest building is usually a house. Many of us own one, or would like to own one. But it can also be expensive to purchase a house, pay a mortgage, and also launch a career and/or raise a family. That’s where the...Read more

  • Vision of a ‘solar village,’ realized by New Urbanism

    Civano New Town is a groundbreaking fusion of New Urbanism and green design that has proven the efficacy of both together. Moule & Polyzoides, Architects and Urbanists won a 2022 CNU Charter Award in the Neighborhood, District, and Corridor category.
    Beautiful to look at, culturally sensitive, and measurably sustainable, Civano New Town in Tucson, Arizona, was ahead of its time. Planned in 1996, Civano set a standard for what was then a radical idea—combining New Urbanism and green design. Due to economic and ownership circumstances, only one...Read more

  • Contextual design and preservation on DC commercial corridor

    Collection 14 takes a surgical approach to infill, building over and around existing main street buildings. Perkins Eastman DC won a 2022 CNU Charter Award in the Block, Street, and Building category.
    Collection 14 is a nearly block-length building that incorporates historic main street buildings on the commercial 14 th Street corridor in Washington DC. Some developments wipe out existing urban fabric, others preserve facades—but this surgical approach to infill preserves whole buildings and...Read more

  • Christopher Alexander, 1936-2022

    Christopher Alexander, a towering figure in architecture and urbanism—one of the biggest influences on the New Urbanism movement—died on Thursday, March 17, after a long illness, it was reported by Michael Mehaffy, a long-time collaborator and protege. Alexander was the author or principal author...Read more