Press Coverage
  • From parking lot to urban tour-de-force
    <strong>UCLA Weyburn</strong>&nbsp;<em>Los Angeles, California</em>

    Build Great Places / #thisiscnu

  • Southside
    Ten acres that transformed a city #thisiscnu

    Build Great Places / #thisiscnu

  • A mixed-use center for town and gown
    <strong>Storrs Center</strong> <em>Mansfield, CT</em>

    Build Great Places / #thisiscnu

  • Jazz Market New Orleans Audience Seating
    Jazz Market New Orleans Audience Seating
    Trumpeting a cultural revival
    <strong>Peoples Health New Orleans Jazz Market</strong>&nbsp; <em>New Orleans, Louisiana</em>

    Build Great Places / #thisiscnu

  • Mercado District | Tucson, Arizona
    A timeless place from the ground up. #thisiscnu

    Build Great Places / #thisiscnu

  • Expanding options for a car-oriented suburban area
    <strong>Village of Providence</strong> <em>Huntsville, AL</em>

    Build Great Places / #thisiscnu

  • A unique building becomes a hub for historic neighborhoods
    <strong>Ponce City Market</strong> <em>Atlanta, GA</em>

    Build Great Places / #thisiscnu

  • Crosstown_Concourse_2018_Charter_LooneyRicksKiss
    Crosstown_Concourse_2018_Charter_LooneyRicksKiss
    From former warehouse to "vertical village"
    <strong>Crosstown Concourse</strong>&nbsp; <em>Memphis, Tennessee</em>

    Build Great Places / #thisiscnu

  • Historic arcade houses young professionals
    <strong>Microlofts at The Arcade Providence</strong>&nbsp;<em>Providence, Rhode Island</em>

    Build Great Places / #thisiscnu

June 6

Detroit to host 24th Congress for the New Urbanism this week
Crain's Detroit Business — June 6, 2016
More than 1,500 attendees from North America and worldwide are expected to descend on the city for four days of education, collaboration, debate and discussion on the policies, designs and latest approaches to building compact walkable communities.

Model D’s guide to one of the biggest city-think gatherings of the year
Model D — June 6, 2016
Starting this week, thousands of city-minded individuals from across the world will descend on Detroit for the 24th annual Congress of New Urbanism—the first time it's ever been held here.

Urban planners, artists putting Riverside Drive on 'road diet'
The Windsor Star — June 6, 2016
Two lanes of Riverside Drive through downtown Windsor will be closed to traffic Saturday for what city planners are calling an act of “tactical urbanism” designed to study the effects of surrendering prime roadway to other more people-friendly uses.

June 7

The Lessons of Detroit: Urban Visionaries Come to See 'The Transforming City'
Deadline Detroit — June 7, 2016
Detroit is an ideal setting for a four-day conference focused "on the policies, designs and emerging approaches that create great places," as the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) describes its annual event.

Walkable Cities Expert Coming To Windsor
Windsorite News — June 7, 2016
Kunstler’s appearance comes as part of the 24th annual Congress for the New Urbanism, an international gathering of architects, planners, engineers, developers, and advocates building walkable cities, towns, and neighborhoods. CNU 24 is based in downtown Detroit, but features a full day of Windsor-based programming on Thursday focusing on the unique challenges and history of Canadian urbanism, in addition to the Windsor events scheduled for Saturday June 11th.

Strong Towns heads to Detroit for CNU 24
Strong Towns — June 7, 2016
Strong Towns President, Charles Marohn, will host several events including a live debate on new urbanist issues, a member get together, and a walking tour with Steve Mouzon and James Howard Kunstler.

June 8

Streetscape 'Activations' Make Detroit Even More Colorful
Curbed Detroit — June 8, 2016
Expect a more colorful streetscape this Wednesday, thanks to multi-disciplinary design firm Hamilton Anderson Associates (HAA). Around Harmonie Park, located at 1427 Randolph Street, HAA has created several "street activations" in celebration of the 24th annual Congress for New Urbanism national conference. 

Hamilton Anderson provides creative touches for Detroit conference
Crain's Detroit Business — June 8, 2016
Hamilton Anderson Associates has created colorful pavement paintings, fence treatments and temporary site furnishings to amuse attendees at the Congress for New Urbanism, which started its conference in Detroit on Wednesday.

New Urbanism starts with walkability
Commercial Architecture — June 8, 2016
CNU 24.Detroit is the annual meeting of the Congress for the New Urbanism, a non-profit organization established with the goal of transforming the built environment from ad-hoc suburban sprawl toward human-scale neighborhood development. The meeting is being held this week in the Motor City.

Detroit and the Congress for the New Urbanism
Restless Urbanist — June 8, 2016
I am on my annual pilgrimage to regroup with my tribe, better know as the annual meeting of the Congress of the New Urbanism. This annual gathering of urbanists, is the opportunity to share and critic the cutting edge of community planning.

Urban planners will reinvent Riverside Drive for a day
CBC.ca — June 8, 2016
Riverside Drive will become part of an urban planning experiment Saturday during an international conference held in Detroit and Windsor. 

5 Years of the Congress for New Urbanism
The Black Urbanist — June 8, 2016
Name any professional conference where a relative newcomer can come in, either invited or uninvited, state that at a certain time and certain place, they are going to put out an idea, record said idea and have a parent of a movement show up and give you props on what you said, even though you’ve never met before?

June 9

7 Savvy Moves by Detroit Are Praised by Urban Visionaries from Around the Country
Deadline Detroit — June 9, 2016
Hundreds of visitors with blue tote bags and conference badges are walking between downtown events this week, often taking time for snapshots or closer looks at Detroit's architecture, amenities and street life.

3 Detroit nonprofits focus on making city healthy
Crain's Detroit Business — June 9, 2016
Little did former Detroit Mayor Hazen Pingree know in 1894 that his fervor for growing produce in Detroit would return in 2016. But that is exactly what is happening, according to three Detroit nonprofits at the 24th Annual Congress for New Urbanism.

Windsor in Pictures: June 9, 2016
The Windsor Star — June 9, 2016
Windsor Star’s award-winning photographers covered the city and county Thursday. Check out the gallery.

Beauty in Your City
Restless Urbanist — June 9, 2016
Last night Mayor Riley addressed the attendees of the Congress of the New Urbanism and shared this simple yet powerful statement. Mayor Riley shared his experience as Mayor for over 40 years for the City of Charleston, South Carolina.

June 10

Riverside Dr. Goes On A “Diet”
Blackburn News — June 10, 2016
The demonstration comes on the last day of the CNU 24 conference in Detroit and Windsor. The city is working with the Congress for New Urbanism, the Windsor Region Society of Architects and the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association studying traffic calming through “tactical urbanism”.

Editorial: A road diet worth trying
The Windsor Star — June 10, 2016
The decision to put Riverside Drive on a so-called “road diet” this weekend by reducing it two lanes through part of the downtown is by no means a new idea. Promoters of the plan say they want to show the public what is possible for the Drive with a little tweaking.

Bedrock, Hamilton Anderson win grand prize for Brush Park urban design
Crain's Detroit Business — June 10, 2016
Two Detroit-based companies, Bedrock Detroit and Hamilton Anderson Associates, on Thursday evening were named winners of the 24th Annual Congress for New Urbanism's grand prize for the design of their Brush Park project.

Visiting urban planners envision Ford City as next cool place
The Windsor Star — June 10, 2016
Fully half of Ford City might consist of vacancy, blight and boarded-up buildings. But planners, architects and urban designers, some of whom visited on bicycle Thursday, see loads of potential to create Windsor’s next really cool neighbourhood.

Urbanism author calls Windsor an 'urban wasteland'
CBC News — June 10, 2016
Kunstler is one of thousands of architects, planners and urban thinkers meeting in Detroit this week to talk about the most pressing issues in cities around the world.

June 11

Detroit is smaller than El Paso. Wait, what?
The Detroit Free Press — June 11, 2016
Last month, the Census Bureau released its latest estimates of the population of U.S. cities. Optimists cheered the dramatic slowing of Detroit’s population loss, a sign that the city’s 60-year losing streak would turn around soon.

5 Things We Learn as City Planners Gush with Detroit Envy
Deadline Detroit — June 11, 2016
Hundreds of city-makeover visionaries are spending four days downtown and touring the region during the Congress for the New Urbanism, a yearly national event. We’re not there, but monitor a stream of live tweets and other social media posts from participants.

Day Three at #CNU24: My First on the Ground
The Black urbanist — June 11, 2016
Good morning Detroit! I’m live from my family bunker up in the Northwest side of the city to give you my take on my experience here at CNU 24. I’m already regretting missing the first two days, plus time here early, considering I have a base here.

June 13

Parks + Community = Innovation
The Dirt (ASLA) — June 13, 2016
How can communities become more deeply involved in the process of creating parks? How can parks reflect communities’ best vision of themselves? Exciting projects that answer these questions were discussed at the Trust for Public Land’s recent conference on the “nature of communities.”

Gilbert's Brush Park plan offers bold new look in Detroit
The Detroit Free Press — June 13, 2016
Not since the Lafayette Park project a half-century ago has Detroit seen a residential development as ambitious as Dan Gilbert’s Brush Park project that breaks ground in a few weeks.

Build Institute hits road with Build Bazaars pop-ups and Open City forums
Model D — June 13, 2016
Build Institute has made a name for itself with classes that help aspiring entrepreneurs in Detroit learn the basics of building a company or small businesses. To complement that, they're hosting a number of Build Bazaars pop-up marketplaces and Open City small business forums across the city this summer.

June 14

Why is CNU Still Relevant in the Design, Development and Governance Conversation?
The Black Urbanist — June 14, 2016
Exactly why is CNU still relevant? For three reasons: the new focus on diversity of both voices and vernaculars, the approachability of the conference venues and the ability to debate the principles of new urbanism and push for their integration into other key parts of the DDG conversation.

Detroit Halts Its Decline
The Dirt (ASLA) — June 14, 2016
In Detroit, Michigan, there has been 50 years of continuous population decline. But that decline finally stopped this year, said Detroit mayor Michael Duggan, to rousing applause, at the Congress for New Urbanism, which met this year in this resurgent rust-belt city. In the 1950s, the city topped 1.8 million people. Last year, it slid to a new low of 677,000 but is now holding steady.

June 15

Fixing federal financing for Main Street buildings
Newsworks — June 15, 2016
At a session at the recent Congress for the New Urbanism conference, federal officials from Freddie Mac and HUD signaled they're aware of those issues, and discussed some recent steps they've taken to address them.

Duany: The Promise of Suburbia Has Been Betrayed
The Dirt (ASLA) — June 15, 2016
“The promise of suburbia — to live in nature amid the easy flow of cars — has been betrayed. Sprawl is not sustainable; its growth chokes on itself,” argued architect and urban planner Andrés Duany at the Congress for New Urbanism in Detroit.

Detroit Shines at CNU 24
Placemaking — JUNE 15, 2016
For the past two years, the League partnered with Congress for the New Urbanism to bring their 24th international convention to our doorstep. League staffers held positions on the host committee and participated in legacy charrettes for four Metro Detroit neighborhoods, all in preparation for last week.

June 16

Car-free in Detroit
Planetizen — JUNE 16, 2016
Last weekend, I was at the 24th Congress for the New Urbanism in Detroit. Near the end of the conference, I overheard someone saying: "I wish there was a guide to Detroit, like Lonely Planet or something."

June 24

The Resurgence of Downtown Detroit
The Dirt (ASLA) — June 24, 2016
The opportunities Detroit has today are a logical evolution from its past mistakes and disinvestment. To an extent, change wouldn’t be possible without that,” explained Kent Anderson, ASLA, founder of KH Anderson, in a tour of downtown Detroit during the Congress for New Urbanism (CNU).

The Resurgence of Downtown Detroit
The American Society of Landscape Architects — June 24, 2016
Anderson raced us through a tour of downtown, explaining the history of the area and how the city got to where it is today. We raced in part because almost none of the crosswalks in this still car-centric city alotted adequate time to cross the expansive, multi-lane streets.

CNU 24: Exploring Detroit
THE PETALUMA PATCH – JUNE 20, 2016
I often feel starved for large gatherings of urbanists of differing perspectives where the intellectual ferment can be set at a rolling boil. Exactly the kind of setting that CNUs provide.

CNU 24: Best Moments, Part 1
The Petaluma Patch – June 22, 2016
The speakers lined up for the Core Sessions were among the leading lights of urbanism, making it hard for many, me included, to bypass the sessions. The once-a-year chance to listen to Andres Duany, Jeff Speck, and Kaid Benfield holds too much attraction to be easily ignored. Joe Minicozzi, who many in the North Bay heard speak on the finances of urbanism during the Urban Community Partnership meetings in Santa Rosa back in January, was also in the line-up

CNU 24: Best Moments, Part 2
The Petaluma Patch – June 27, 2016

CNU24 Detroit: Summary and celebration
PLACEMAKERS – JUNE 28, 2016
How can you not love Detroit? We are blown away by the beauty of downtown Detroit: the Guardian Building, the great streets and inclusive public spaces. This city was built on a radial grid that would make Jane Jacobs proud

The Local and the Global: Lessons from Detroit
The New Localization – July 7, 2016
As a planner and local economist, seeing Detroit was an absolutely fascinating experience. Walking around the city evokes the same feeling as the ruins of Rome or Athens; everywhere you look you see evidence of a once great, flourishing economy– beautiful architecture, mills and factories, extensive neighborhoods – nearly all of it abandoned and idle.

Detroit Aims for Food Sovereignty
The American Society of Landscape Architects – July 8, 2016
There are 165 acres of urban gardens and farms under cultivation in Detroit, Michigan. In a tour, Ken Weikal, ASLA, co-founder of the non-profit GrowTown and the firm Ken Weikal Landscape Architecture, explained that everyone from Capuchin Monks to non-profit cooperatives, university labs to self-sufficient farmers, corporations to small businesses are involved in using Detroit’s vacant lands to produce food.

Urbanism conference attendees praise downtown Detroit's walkability
Crain's Detroit Business — July 11, 2016
Kudos and criticism were wielded by the nearly 1,500 surveyed urban planners and architects who spent up to four days in Detroit in June at the 24th Annual Congress for the New Urbanism conference.