• One of the last of the 20th Century ‘freeway battles’ ends

    The 710 Freeway in Pasadena CA has no future, only an ugly past—one of scores of in-city highway struggles that began when many officials thought that traditional cities had no future.
    Common sense has prevailed at last. For more than a half century, California planned a freeway through the heart of Pasadena and South Pasadena, extending the 710 to connect the 110, 134, and 210 freeways. This freeway extension was long opposed by South Pasadena, which fought it in the courts—and...Read more

  • Complete communities at all scales, for everyone

    A new book offers an in-depth report on how public officials, citizens, and developers are working together to create walkable and inclusive communities.
    Once started, I found Philip Langdon's new book, Within Walking Distance: Creating Livable Communities for All , hard to put down. I worked with Phil for 10 years on the publications New Urban News and Better! Cities & Towns, but the book's compelling narrative—not a personal connection—kept me...Read more

  • Urban planning can’t happen without black people in the room—Yet it does

    Note: Charles Ellison spoke at CNU 25 in Seattle as part of a panel on Combating the Suburbanization of Poverty. Sit at the tables where people are deciding where the new high school will go, or whether to expand the bus depot, and you’ll probably need to ask, “Where are all the people of color?”...Read more

  • Pontiac loop highlights a national infrastructure need

    Streets support commerce, social interaction, physical activity, recreation, and multimodal transportation—yet DOT funding criteria are stuck in the past.
    Pontiac, Michigan, is moving forward with plans to revert a 2.5-mile one-way loop to two-way traffic—a change that is projected to bring 200,000 square feet of retail and $55 million in annual sales to the City's distressed downtown. The plan, in the works for 15 years, was given a boost by a CNU...Read more