• Feds release plan for compact communities to counter climate change

    The US National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization lays out goals for practitioners of New Urbanism and smart growth “to increase convenience and reduce emissions by making it possible for people to take fewer or shorter trips.”
    Read the official CNU media release here . The US government on Tuesday released a groundbreaking Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization that fully recognizes the critical role of compact, complete communities in reducing carbon emissions and addressing the nation’s climate issues. No federal...Read more

  • Atlanta’s Downtown Connector: Bury it or demolish it?

    To mitigate this scar on Atlanta’s urban fabric, two freeway cap proposals are being pushed by local business groups.
    In 1952 the first section of an expressway that would split the heart of Atlanta opened. It was designed in the 1940s to connect the growing suburbs to the north with those in the south, while providing a fast way around congested streets in bustling districts like Five Points. Eventually, it would...Read more

  • Novel idea: Modular house that’s cute

    Good design is a low priority for houses made in a factory, but some architects and developers are trying to change the industry with a simple cottage that features a nicely detailed porch and roof lines.
    Why do factory-built houses tend to look ugly ? Why can’t they be cute , like a cottage that would fit into a walkable neighborhood? New urbanists have been wrestling with that question for many years. Bruce Tolar, an architect based in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, asks: “Would you rather have a...Read more

  • A primer on Missing Middle Housing

    AARP, an interest group representing older Americans that claims 38 million members, has increasingly become involved in housing issues (including ongoing work with CNU on code reform). In between sending me direct mail for many years, AARP has found time to release a useful primer on “Missing...Read more