• How mixed-use development can raise the tax base

    Carmel, Indiana, is building a walkable downtown from scratch—and also planning to have a strong tax base for many years to come.
    Carmel, Indiana, a rapidly growing suburban city of more than 100,000 people, demonstrates the value of mixed-use development in raising tax revenues. In a presentation to Carmel City Council in early February, Redevelopment Director Henry Mestetsky made a strong case for focusing on downtown core...Read more

  • Suburban malls at the crossroads

    The reimagining of once-cherished malls has become a necessity for owners—not only to stay relevant and compete in the marketplace, but also to identify forward-thinking redevelopment strategies that bring additional viable uses and density.
    Over the last several years the retail landscape has changed dramatically—and potentially forever. With numerous store closings, bankruptcies, and changes in shopping habits, the malls we once flocked to in order to satisfy our shopping needs have, in many instances, become vacant relics...Read more

  • Defining the 15-minute city

    The “15-minute city” may be defined as an ideal geography where most human needs and many desires are located within a travel distance of 15 minutes. Here’s what that means.
    See the more recent, second essay , by Andres Duany and Robert Steuteville on the 15-minute city. These essays are complementary. The 15-minute city is gaining significant traction politically and in planning circles, but what does it mean? Definitions vary, and there is so much slack in the...Read more

  • A train runs INSIDE your house?

    The video below, produced by Rob Sanders (Road Guy Rob), a journalist with a degree in civil engineering, provides an overview of transit-oriented development (TOD) that is sophisticated and yet engaging to a mass audience. The video covers projects in California and Utah, and focuses on Del Mar...Read more