• 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

  • Making a new urbanist of me

    Great places have the ability to inspire, and Seaside changed my life from building wide, fast roads to analyzing and documenting the DNA of places.
    The first time I visited Seaside, I knew very little about traditional neighborhood development. The trip was a vacation with 10 family members, including my parents. We made ourselves quite comfortable in an amazing home designed and owned by Robert Orr, called the Old Natchez Compound, which...Read more

  • Climate goals translate to work for new urbanists

    A recent report by Brookings sums up the challenge for US climate goals: It can’t be done without moving much more decisively to compact, mixed-use, walkable development. To quote from their report: “Simply put, the United States cannot reach its GHG reduction targets if our urban areas continue to...Read more

  • A new cultural epicenter for Savannah

    The Plant Riverside District in Savannah, Georgia, transformed an abandoned industrial site into the most significant modern expansion of the city’s urban core. Sottile & Sottile and The Kessler Collection won the 2021 CNU Grand Prize Charter Award.
    Note: Charter Awards will be presented in a ceremony Friday evening, May 21, at CNU 29. Design for Change . Plant Riverside District revamped a former industrial site into a dynamic mixed-use waterfront district, woven into the city, extending Savannah’s renowned Oglethorpe plan. The development...Read more