• 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

  • Looking to transform I-375 synergistically

    Officials should consider the connections that were in place before the highway when planning to remove a mile-long Detroit Interstate in lieu of a surface street.
    Like many highways that have appeared on CNU's Freeways Without Futures list over the last decade and a half, I-375 in Detroit remains in place yet a source of controversy. Michigan DOT is still considering taking out the mile-long Interstate near downtown and replacing it with a surface street—but...Read more

  • An adaptable zoning proposal for walkable cities

    Contemporary zoning envisions cities in a finished state—we need codes that constantly adapt to the changing urban landscape, which is the idea behind “metrocoalescence.”
    Zoning has a vice grip on the housing market across the country; we need to shift the basic logic underlying zoning to create a lasting shift in the urban housing market and to produce classical patterns of urban development. In spite of ample literature criticizing zoning and describing what good...Read more

  • City looks to the stars for lighting policy

    Groveland, Florida, has adopted a Dark Sky Lighting ordinance that preserves views of the Milky Way, saves energy, and enhances streetscapes.
    Groveland, Florida, is a rapidly growing city west of Orlando, with a population that rose eightfold from 2000 to 2020. Without intervention, the Milky Way, now visible at night, would soon be obscured by light pollution like most suburban places. The city, which adopted Transect-based zoning in...Read more