• Biking and walking: How are we doing?

    As spring tempts us to pick up the pace of our outdoor activities, it’s clear that not all places have equal footing. Those well-positioned to draw us out into health-boosting active transportation are enjoying all sorts of benefits. City planners across North America are trying hard to even the...Read more

  • The father of Seaside’s landscape is honored

    Douglas Duany, whose ideas transformed Seaside from the beginning, was the winner of this year’s Seaside Prize.
    Three seminal events recently coincided in Seaside, Florida: The annual Seaside Prize (this year given to Douglas Duany), the annual meeting of the Florida chapter of CNU, and the 35 th anniversary of the firm that planned Seaside, Duany Plater-Zyberk (DPZ). Seaside itself is the project that...Read more

  • Cards for urbanity

    It all started as a snarky card game, but now we are discovering that playing cards can be an important tool for urban planning.
    It all started as a snarky card game. It was a hobby project among friends searching for a creative outlet. So, with permission from the original game developers at Cards Against Humanity, we created Cards Against Urbanity , hit our KickStarter funding goals, shipped product to 800 backers, and...Read more

  • Strategies for project review under a form-based code

    While many cities and towns have determined that they need not have additional project review for development that conforms with the code, others are establishing or streamlining project review systems.
    Form Based Codes (FBCs) allow communities to implement a plan for quality placemaking with a by-right development code, instead of a complicated discretionary design review process. Communities are selecting form-based codes to replace conventional zoning in downtowns and neighborhood centers, not...Read more