• A strong case for faster trains serving ‘megaregions’

    In a new book, Jonathan Barnett calls for using design thinking to achieve sustainable, functional, and equitable “megaregions.”
    Note: Many urbanists have time for reading as they hunker down in response to COVID-19, and there are excellent books coming out. We will be posting reviews on Public Square in the coming weeks. Jonathan Barnett, winner of CNU’s prestigious Athena Medal in 2007 for his early influence on New...Read more

  • Investment in historic square pays off

    The pedestrian-friendly redesign of Cleveland’s Public Square spurred $1.2 billion in investment, according to a study . The 10-acre site at the heart of downtown used to be divided into four smaller squares with wide streets of through-traffic. The $50 million redesign closed Ontario Street, to...Read more

  • Transportation ‘innovation zone’ proposed for Buffalo

    The city is testing new mobility technologies to promote economic development and placemaking for the 21st Century.
    CNU and Stantec’s Urban Places are working with the City of Buffalo to leverage transportation technology to boost economic development in the lower Main Street district. A plan was outlined at a four-day design workshop called “The Future of Mobility: Remaking Buffalo for the 21st Century,” held...Read more

  • How a brutalist building is reviving a mid-sized city

    A massive skyscraper is being renovated as a mixed-use, walkable urban center in a city that was pronounced dead not too long ago.
    Note: CNU cosponsored a Public Design Charrette in the Seneca One tower, under renovation in Buffalo, in late February. In 2007, Harvard economist Edward Glaeser wrote an article with an blunt headline that answered its own question: “Can Buffalo Ever Come Back? Probably not—and government should...Read more