• A timeless alternative for housing the elderly

    COVID-19 has exposed problems with the US long-term care model of nursing homes. About 40 percent of total COVID deaths in the US have occurred in nursing homes. Residents have been subject to severe isolation in 2020—visiting such facilities has been difficult and sometimes impossible during the...Read more

  • Agricultural Urbanism takes shape

    The British Columbia town of Southlands combines New Urbanism with a connection to farming.
    The concept of Agricultural Urbanism was articulated for 530 acres in Tsawassen, British Columbia, in 2008. The plan was formed in a charrette just as the Great Recession hit the brakes on the worldwide economy. Designed around preserving most of the land for food production, this large new town...Read more

  • My Christmas wish: A return to street grids

    As an urbanist, I ask Santa to bring America a renewed interest and understanding of the importance of street grids (more precisely, connected networks of streets with relatively small blocks). That may be a tall order for Santa, but I have been good and grids are good. This basic infrastructure...Read more

  • CNU 2020: Year in review

    CNU has accomplished a great deal this year, despite the pandemic—especially in the areas of transportation, code reform, and in facilitating virtual conversations on urbanism.
    After all the twists and unexpected events of 2020, it's astonishing how much we achieved. We started the year by simplifying our mission statement to clearly state that we champion walkable urbanism. To me, that mission means scaling up and amplifying the work of our members and allies. It means...Read more