• 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

  • Great idea: Light Imprint for walkable green infrastructure

    A leaner, lighter approach to infrastucture is more cost-effective, sustainable, and livable—an idea worth considering for America in National Infrastructure Week.
    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