• From McMansion to McMain Street

    Like the McMansion, the McMain Street attempts to mimic the complex roof massing of many buildings in a single building. Here are ideas on better ways to preserve or create Main Street character.
    Drive through any middle-class suburban neighborhood built in the last 25 years and you will encounter the “McMansion,” the aspirational mega-house with its overly complex roof form, dumbed-down architectural details and grandiose double-height foyer. The term McMansion is embedded in the American...Read more

  • A chance for transformation

    A redesign for the obsolete 1956 Buffalo Skyway addresses multiple community goals: enhancing mobility, promoting economic development, creating jobs, and reimagining the possibilities of Buffalo’s waterfront.
    Note: This article was written for The Buffalo News in response to a redesign competition for the Buffalo Skyway, an elevated freeway through the city's waterfront. The Skyway was on CNU's 2014 Freeways Without Futures list and also a topic of discussion at CNU 22 in Buffalo that year, and now a...Read more

  • The map of CNU Congresses

    CNU created a map (see below for interactive version) of all of the past and upcoming Congresses . The map offers an overview at the history of CNU, the geographic range of the Congresses, and the issues that concerned the Congress attendees in years past (click on locations for details). The first...Read more

  • Legacy projects kick off in Louisville

    CNU neighborhood design workshops this week are led by Urban Design Associates, Street Plans Collaborative, Placemakers, and Gresham Smith.
    Four CNU Legacy Projects will launch this week In Louisville, Kentucky, as community design workshops will engage residents to improve public spaces, streets, mixed-use centers, and natural and cultural assets. Three of the workshops will focus on specific neighborhoods—Russell and Portland in the...Read more