• Transit-oriented development and the American Jobs Act

    American Jobs Act (AJA) provisions that would tear down unnecessary in-city freeways have received significant media attention , but the infrastructure bill could also boost transit-oriented development (TOD). That angle has been less emphasized. With the help of CNU, the advocacy group Up for...Read more

  • 15 in-city highways that need transformation

    Highway removal offers a path to community revitalization and greater economic development, according to Freeways Without Futures 2021, released June 1.
    A new national report by the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) urges the wholesale transformation of 15 of America's worst in-city highways to reknit communities disrupted by highway construction decades ago—and generate economic opportunity. The highways featured in this report for too long have...Read more

  • CNU 29 review: How can we design for change?

    This past week I had the pleasure to attend CNU 29.Design for Change , CNU’s annual Congress. In an oversaturated time period of virtual conferences, CNU 29 was different. It was engaging, enlightening, and entertaining. Organized as a 3-day virtual conference, from May 19-21, the Congress explored...Read more

  • The rise of pedestrian-first streets

    The woonerf is coming of age as a thoroughfare type, allowing streets to take center stage as public spaces.
    Call them “woonerfs,” or “shared space,” these are skinny streets where motor vehicles may be allowed—but play second-fiddle to human-powered transportation. These streets often have no vertical curbs and are designed so that drivers feel comfortable only going very slow—5 or 10 mph. “Blurring the...Read more