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Home Builders report shows housing is changing
The American housing industry is changing course—and this will transform neighborhoods and communities over time by providing more and different choices in housing.A new report from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), “Diversifying Housing Options With Smaller Lots and Smaller Homes,” examines a shift away from the suburban single-family house that has dominated the industry since 1950. Previous long-held resistance to smaller lot sizes is being...Read more -
Safe streets and the fire service conflict
It’s time for the fire service to become an active partner in overall public safety.On a warm day in 1971, I was on my way to the local bodega near my home on 79 th Street in New York City when I saw a ladder truck stopped next to the store. A few of the fire fighters were hanging around with sour looks on their faces. The radio was squawking away and they were listening intently...Read more -
Getting sh*t done: Lady developers edition
Three women developers from across the US are helping to bring back their home cities.I am not a developer and I have never been a developer, however, the beauty of CNU is that it provides a well-rounded liberal arts education on urbanism—you can still take a class in a subject even if you’re not going to major in it. At CNU 26 in Savannah,I dipped a toe into the development pond...Read more -
Problems and solutions for main street retail
Shopability studies for two Florida cities illustrate the potential and hurdles for many American small-to-midsize downtowns.Note: This is one of a series of ongoing Public Square articles on the market, technological, and cultural transformation of the $5 trillion retail industry—and how it relates to a continued shift toward walkable, urban living. People love a main street, but the tired, dated look and incomplete...Read more