• Narrow streets do more with less

    This is good news for Strong Towns advocates concerned about the fiscal sustainability of our cities too, because simple design means less money that must be spent to build and maintain our public realm. Yet this is a point that's often not embraced by much of the urbanist community—people who are...Read more

  • The first suburban retrofit gets a neighborhood

    After two decades, Mashpee Commons is moving forward with 300-plus residential units, more shops, and civic spaces with support from the regional planning authority.
    Transformation of the former New Seabury Shopping Center in Mashpee, Massachusetts, into a town center began 30 years ago. The early-1960s strip mall at the intersection of two state highways on Cape Cod was fading and needed refurbishment. Mashpee, a suburban municipality located between two older...Read more

  • Choice and the ‘sprawl tax’

    Daniel Hertz at City Observatory introduced what he called the “Sprawl Tax” last week—defined as the cost associated with excess commuting distance for the top 50 metro areas. This distance adds real costs for gas, depreciation, and wear and tear on motor vehicles as well as time spent commuting...Read more

  • Existing assets boost Detroit revival

    Note: This article was written as part of the Project for Lean Urbanism and edited for Public Square . Lean Urbanism will be a topic of discussion at CNU 24 in Detroit taking place June 8-11, 2016. Detroit is a place of intrigue. The dramatic rise and fall of the city over the last half century has...Read more