• Cultivating consensus

    The charrette process can empower citizens to agree on the location of multiple walkable centers in suburban areas.
    Note: This document is one of a series of tools created for Build a Better Burb, the Hub for Great Suburban Design. The Build a Better Burb website has been recently updated by CNU. The Problem Many US suburban governments, such as townships (each usually 36 square miles in area), are so vast that...Read more

  • Where to begin? Target a place

    Many suburbs would like to revitalize infrastructure and assets, but they don’t know what problems to tackle first. Not knowing can lead to paralysis.
    Note: This document is one of a series of tools created for Build a Better Burb, the Hub for Great Suburban Design. The series emerged from the Build a Better Burb Sprawl Retrofit Council in Miami, Florida, in March, 2016—an event aimed at expanding transportation choice, sense of place, and...Read more

  • What a Trump presidency means for New Urbanism

    Our principles—and our Charter—are timeless, and the work of our members is as relevant and populist as it has ever been.
    Like a lot of people, I was shocked by the results of Tuesday’s election. Donald Trump’s unprecedented victory has far-reaching implications for our social programs, foreign affairs, and civil rights. On top of that, Trump has made it impossible to predict exactly what policy priorities he’ll...Read more

  • Sense of place is real

    “Sense of place” is not some nebulous, mystical idea. Sense of place is the emotional or psychological reaction to "place," as shown in the graphic above, created by Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). Communities and neighborhoods with good physical form evoke that psychological...Read more