• Revitalization begins with cloverleaf demolition plan

    In the City of South Bend, getting rid of absurdly failed highway infrastructure may be the key to revitalizing a district. The federal government is betting $2.4 million on it.
    In terms of failed urban renewal infrastructure, it would be hard to find a more absurd example than the Eddy Street cloverleafs in the Farmers Market District of South Bend, Indiana. These ramps on both sides of the St. Joseph River were completed in 1963 to carry traffic to and from a Studebaker...Read more
  • The magic of inner-block development

    The opportunities are vast to create human-scale places on the inside of urban blocks, according to a discussion on CNU's On the Park Bench.
    The most photographed street in the US is Acorn Street, in Boston, a little mid-block residential thoroughfare in the Beacon Hill neighborhood. The reason why Acorn—along with similar streets like Elfreth’s Alley in Philadelphia—is so popular, is because of its human scale, according to architect...Read more
  • News on the most nominated ‘Freeways Without Futures’

    As freeway removal gains national recognition and funding from the federal government, it's time to look at some of our most nominated freeways for CNU’s Freeways Without Futures report and where they are today.
    Since 2008, CNU has been publishing the biannual Freeways Without Futures report. The report highlights the efforts of local campaign organizers and activists seeking to revitalize their communities by dismantling the city highways that burden them with the significant health hazards of vehicle...Read more
  • What causes traffic problems? Updating your mental model

    The factors leading to traffic are more complex than most people think—a still-simple but more accurate formula shows shows why compact neighborhoods are the solution, not the problem.
    Note: This article first appeared on Strong Towns .​ My neighborhood association recently issued a statement of support for a 372-unit apartment complex proposed to be built on disused land at the edge of the neighborhood. Far from everybody agreed with this step . There was a lot of dissent...Read more