• ‘Car-free’ development substantially built

    A video of construction shows the public spaces taking shape at the innovative Culdesac Tempe, in Arizona. Designer: “Car-free is the future of New Urbanism.”
    The Culdesac “car-free” development in Tempe, Arizona, is one of the most anticipated new urban projects in the US, getting nationwide media attention . The unique 15-acre design of Culdesac Tempe, by Opticos Design, won a CNU award in 2021 . The development will provide 636 low-rise living spaces...Read more

  • Hammond, Indiana, and a more walkable USA

    A film segment tells the story of an American city, its struggles, and a future revitalized by urban design.
    The video below is a segment of a larger documentary, not yet released, called Walkable USA. This film tells the compelling story of Hammond, Indiana, a rust belt city that once had a great downtown, and intends to have one again. Walkable USA - Proof of Concept from House Painter Media on Vimeo ...Read more

  • From busy roadway to public square

    Reducing redundant roadway in cities can be good for people both outside and inside of vehicles.
    One thing cities need is more creative traffic planning of pedestrian-unfriendly intersections, informed by good urban design. Here's a video of a cool design for Kenmore Square, a complicated and heavily traveled intersection in the Fenway/Kenmore neighborhood of Boston, near Boston University and...Read more

  • Thoughts on the Athens Charter

    A film depicting the famous 1933 voyage of modernist architect members of CIAM from Marseilles to Athens on the Patris II, reminds me of the good that new urbanists are doing today.
    As I watched this most extraordinary little film (see below) by Bauhaus professor László Moholy-Nagy, I really turned very emotional over it. It was so revealing to see the heroic figures of CIAM stripped down to their swimming suits, looking like regular human beings. Gathering, preaching,...Read more