Archives
Welcome to the archives of Better Cities & Towns, a publication founded by Robert Steuteville as New Urban News in 1996. This archive holds two decades of the best news and analysis on compact, mixed-use growth and development, from 1996 to 2015.
The American Dream is ending. Or, more accurately, the version of it that dominated the continent since the end of World War II is now in its baroque final phase. Demographic trends and changes in the prevailing kinds of work are bringing on the now...
After four years of trying to get up
and running, the Institute for Traditional Architecture (ITA) decided to join with the Institute of Classical Architecture & Classical America rather than remain a freestanding organization.
In October, Randal O’Toole, organizer of a national campaign against smart growth and New Urbanism, began circulating a study from England that claims that new urban design techniques make communities more vulnerable to crimes such as burglary and...
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has indicated that he will act to curb sprawl and promote redevelopment of cities. Both he and his staff are liberally using the phrase “smart growth,” yet it is unclear what policies will be adopted to support...
The Boston Area Chapter of the Next Generation of the New Urbanism — young professionals and students — plans to organize a workshop during the coming year on better development practices and to study the difficulties of building well-loved places...
The town center of Baldwin Park, the redevelopment of a naval training center in Orlando, Florida, is successfully leasing out retail space. Developers expect the project to be 90 percent leased by the time it opens — an exceptionally brisk pace,...
CNU welcomes David Hudson and Steve Filmanowicz to the CNU staff in Chicago. David will become executive vice president, concentrating on CNU’s strategic direction, development efforts and business operations. Previously, David was public relations...
Norton Commons, a 594-acre TND near Louisville, Kentucky, is breaking ground as a result of the developer securing $10 million in financing. The first phase will involve 130 lots, some of which will be live/work, plus a 20,000 square foot commercial...
Also in the Madison area, plans have been withdrawn for Horub’s Corner, a TND that was first proposed more than two years ago. Developer Peter Frautschi of Community by Design says the plan was too ambitious, and “it became apparent that the village...
Entitlements are still difficult for new urban projects in many locations around the US, and the key issue is density. The latest project to go down in defeat is River Trails, designed by Calthorpe Associates, which would have been the first major...
Adivided state legislature and opposition from builders have dissuaded New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevey from pushing much of the anti-sprawl agenda he proposed last January. The New York Times reported Oct. 21 that McGreevey, a first-term...
Federal Realty Investment Trust is embarking on a major new urban development — a year and a half after announcing that it was moving away from “main street” communities in favor of conventional projects. The new urban project, called Rockville Town...