• Transforming LA’s sprawl: a community call to action

    Communities must support the policies and lead the discussion of solutions for transforming LA’s sprawl for high-level ideas to become a successful reality.
    Home to 3.9 million people , the city of Los Angeles is often thought of as a car-centric, sprawling city. In an effort to transform the way Angelenos travel through the city, many initiatives and plans have been set in motion, from former L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti’s “ Twenty-Eight for ‘28 ” to LA...Read more

  • Suburban retrofit with a focus on green

    Pike and Rose is a new transit-oriented downtown in Montgomery County, Maryland, with a botanical public realm.
    As the Washington Metropolitan region rapidly grows, most of the population increase is outside the core city. The more sustainable regional growth often turns underutilized parking and shopping areas into high-density, mixed-use living. Pike and Rose in Rockville, Maryland, is a leading example of...Read more

  • Bringing back the lost art of Main Street buildings

    Small-scale mixed-use buildings are popular in Norton Commons, a new urbanist community in Louisville; here’s the latest example.
    All over America, commercial districts are filled with small, 2- to 3-story buildings with commercial spaces on the first floor below residential units. These standard Main Street buildings, often made of brick, have been dubbed “live works” in recent decades. Live-work buildings are like mixed-use...Read more

  • Small city revival in PA

    A new urban approach yields economic benefits for small cities and towns like Phoenixville.
    Outside of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is known as a rural state. Less recognized are the many small urban municipalities throughout the state, with good historic architecture and streets. Many are gaining population. Phoenixville, a former industrial town about 20 miles northwest of...Read more