• A suburban neighborhood of tract housing within the city of Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States; culs-de-sac are hallmarks of suburban planning.

    Suburbia was a housing program

    We used to understand that housing construction was in the public interest
    Note: This article first appeared on The Deleted Scenes .​ Public Square editor Robert Steuteville is on leave through the last week of October. I’ve had this note sitting in my possible newsletter posts document: “Suburbia was a housing program.” I’ve alternated between thinking that was banal and...Read more

  • It’s time to be honest about the impending costs of climate change

    The passage of the Biden Administration’s climate change package , the so-called “Inflation Reduction Act,” has predictably split along partisan lines, with Republicans characterizing the bill as an act of reckless government spending, certain to raise taxes and fuel further inflation. But does...Read more

  • In its hometown, Coors launches urban redevelopment

    As its name suggest, Golden, Colorado, began as a gold rush town, but it’s biggest economic driver in the 20 th Century was the golden liquid of Coors beer and Coors-related operations. The Coors family started the Coors Brewing Co. (now Molson Coors) in Golden, and also a ceramics manufacturing...Read more

  • Why malls are a bad public investment

    A failed mall is bringing down a neighborhood in Milwaukee, highlighting the advantages of more sustainable retail.
    Note: This article first appeared on Strong Towns .​ Public Square editor Robert Steuteville is on leave through the last week of October. Big investments can bring about big problems. Take the shopping mall , for instance: Built on the appealing premise of housing a bunch of commercial businesses...Read more