• Missing middle close up: Bungalow courts

    A bungalow court consists of a series of small, detached structures, providing multiple units arranged to define a shared court—an important community-enhancing space.
    We’ve closely documented lots of examples of the Missing Middle housing and explored the world of carriage houses . This time, we’re looking at a charming, clustered type of Missing Middle Housing: the bungalow court. Like a lot of other Missing Middle Housing types, bungalow courts are present in...Read more

  • Planning a neighborhood square

    With a mix of local stores below apartments that provide “eyes on the square,” shade trees, and places to sit, a European-style neighborhood square is a place where everyone belongs.
    Unlike a city’s main square that, from time to time, brings together representatives from all over the city for major festivals, concerts, and special events, a neighborhood square has certain unique social functions: it is frequented every day of the year by those who live in the neighborhood; it...Read more

  • Great Idea: Freeways Without Futures

    Reducing state and federal infrastructure costs while boosting local economies by strengthening urban places is a win-win from in-city freeway transformation.
    In celebration of the 25th Congress for the New Urbanism , Public Square is running the series 25 Great Ideas of the New Urbanism. These ideas have been shaped by new urbanists and continue to influence cities, towns, and suburbs. The series is meant to inspire and challenge those working toward...Read more

  • Giving thanks in the Anthropocene

    We can be thankful that we are in the midst of a golden age for cities, and their vibrant resurgence colors ominous global trends in more optimistic hues.
    In this season of thanks and celebration, those of us who are architects, planners, builders, developers, and government officials have much for which to be thankful. We wouldn’t be in these fields, if we didn’t care about beauty that is more than skin-deep. The pleasures of architecture and cities...Read more