Providence in Huntsville looks like many other traditional neighborhood developments, but it also boasts three times the number of jobs as residences. How did it accomplish that and other seemingly impossible tasks?

Authenticity seems impossible today, with places and buildings that look like they could be anywhere, lacking harmony with nature and local culture. But designers can achieve authenticity through effective principles, and a dozen of them are listed here.

There are several powerful virtuous cycles of street trees that benefit so many parts of the built environment and the people who inhabit it in ways we may not have thought about until now. This post daylights the multitude of benefits—some of which...