• Redeveloping faith sites into affordable housing

    The redevelopment of sites owned by faith-based organizations (FBO) is among the decade's biggest urban redevelopment challenges. Some arise from a nationwide wave of church closings—others represent land owned by congregations that could serve a larger community purpose and generate revenue. The...Read more

  • Make America walkable again

    A political diatribe accuses new urbanists of limiting liberty and imposing an exclusive vision on America. With support among liberals and conservatives, New Urbanism uses common sense to increase freedom for all and make communities healthier.
    The Federalist , a conservative online magazine, recently published what can only be described as a political diatribe against New Urbanism . The authors, a Florida couple Jonathan and Paige Bronitsky, rant about new urbanists’ “fanatical hatred of the automobile” and about its adherents’ supposed...Read more

  • Health and planning for quality of life

    In addition to heavy smoking and drinking, lack of social connections and physical activity are primary factors in dying sooner. The latter two deficits can be addressed by community planning focusing on quality of life and walkability.
    “Quality of life” is an elusive concept that people want in their communities but is often undervalued by planners because it is difficult to measure. However, there are clear ways that planners can boost quality of life, adding years to people’s lives and improving happiness, argues Todd Litman of...Read more

  • From plan to place: Providence's downtown renaissance

    Like most historic US cities, Providence declined in the 20th Century but has since become a model for urban revitalization through investment and good planning.
    Editor's note: In the early 1990s, before I became a new urbanist, I visited Providence in the summer and was amazed at downtown, with its stunning turn-of-the-century commercial architecture that appeared to be mostly vacant. I had never seen anything that empty and that intact. I later learned...Read more