• How a Florida beach town changed how we live

    12 Ways that Seaside revolutionized how we think about cities and towns.
    Note: Jay Walljasper, champion of walkable communities and former editor of Utne Magazine, died a few months ago . Jay wrote a number of articles published for Public Square over the years, including this one on Seaside, Florida. A town built from scratch in the 1980s ignited a revolution in how we...Read more

  • Ten great public squares

    Here are ten of the best public spaces at the heart of cities in America, plus honorable mentions.
    It seems only right that we should feature great public squares on Public Square . Squares are the outdoor living rooms of cities worldwide, and they have been planned at the center of the best North American cities for half of a millennium. The Law of the Indies required settlements to be built...Read more

  • Exurbs rising—a challenge for climate policy

    A big increase in exurban growth is a wake-up call for regional planners, urbanists, and a public trying to rein in carbon emissions.
    Exurban growth appears to be on the rise, according to a recent report in The Wall Street Journal that quotes upcoming National Association of Home Builders research. The analysis “set to be released later this year, shows that single-family construction rose nearly 7 percent in exurban areas in...Read more

  • Design communities so that neighbors can borrow sugar

    This image is from an illustrative article called This Is How Borrowing Things From Our Neighbors Strengthens Society, by Sarah Lazarovic in Yes! journal. Here’s the tagline: Research shows that small talk and casual connections create happy communities and less-lonely individuals. Although there...Read more