• Great storefronts mean vital places

    For storefronts that keep pedestrians entertained, here are the rules of thumb.
    It may come as a surprise, but few things in walkable places are stronger predictors of the vitality of a town or neighborhood center than the quality of its storefronts. Centers in the US normally gather around a Main Street or square. European centers often gather around a plaza, place, piazza,...Read more

  • Great idea: Shock and awe for cities and towns

    Charles Marohn of Strong Towns and Joe Minicozzi of Urban3 have been sounding the alarm across America about the financial unsustainability of fragmented development patterns and conventional suburban infrastructure.
    In celebration of the upcoming CNU 25.Seattle , 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 complete...Read more

  • Great idea: Multidisciplinary design charrette

    A time-compressed design process that gathers all of the stakeholders and practitioners together has great potential for creating more holistic communities, experts say.
    In celebration of the upcoming CNU 25.Seattle , 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 complete...Read more

  • Public space, identity politics, and civic collaboration

    All politics is local—and to that we could add, all politics is rooted in the public spaces we share at the local level.
    American new urbanists are famously cross-partisan. Former CNU president John Norquist was a Democratic mayor of Milwaukee Wisconsin, and former board member Mike Krusee was a Republican Texas legislator. You can find a New Urbanism page on The American Conservative website, and another one on The...Read more