• Three zoning reforms for compact housing

    A beautifully illustrated article on the Placemakers website offers ideas on compact living, based on case studies of “missing middle” housing types in a village in Wales. Author Susan Henderson, an urban designer and coding expert who is based in New Mexico, relates lessons learned to housing...Read more

  • From failed mall to downtown core, a city takes charge

    Downtown Westminster in Westminster, Colorado, is the redevelopment of a former mall into a walkable center, led by the city. Torti Gallas + Partners won a Merit Award in the Neighborhood, District, and Corridor category of the 2023 CNU Charter Awards.
    A large number of malls are dying nationwide—but in most cases, a city or town just lets a developer or investor determine the fate of a property, if there is a market for reusing the site. That’s not what city leaders in Westminster, Colorado, did when the 40-year-old Westminster Mall declined in...Read more

  • Piloting a new urban quarter in an African city

    Goha Sefer—The New Urban Quarter in Gondar, Ethiopia, is a 50-acre neighborhood plan in the historic African city. Metaya Tilahun of Notre Dame won a Student Merit Award in the Neighborhood, District, and Corridor category of CNU's 2023 Charter Awards.
    The northwest Ethiopian city of Gondar was a major center of trade from the 1600s to the 1800s, when it was home to emperors. The center of government and business historically drew the finest builders and craftsmen , who constructed a city of traditional urbanism around the royal compound. But all...Read more

  • A 15-minute city for southeast London

    Thamesmead Expansion is a series of proposals for a large, transit-oriented site in London. Students at UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design won a Student Merit Award in the Neighborhood, District, and Corridor category of the 2023 Charter Awards.
    Like the US, Britain is experiencing a widespread housing affordability shortage, especially around London in the southeast of the UK. Opportunity areas for new housing in that region are critical—including a flat, 300-acre former military site on the Thames estuary where 12,000 to 15,000 living...Read more