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 Environmental Protection Agency has launched a web site with information about smart growth policies, funding sources, networking opportunities, technical tools and resources. See www.epa.gov/smartgrowth.
Peter Swift of Swift and Associates has released a research paper on “AASHTO and the Parisian Boulevard.” The paper examines the mandates of the AASHTO “Green Book” regarding location of arterials, physical design standards, and public transit, and...
A blighted Indianapolis neighborhood gets another chance with the help of federal funds and new urban design guidelines.
The fate of the Fall Creek neighborhood on Indianapolis’ near north side mirrors that of countless urban neighborhoods in the...
The city picks a design and development team for a $350-million, transit-oriented, walkable neighborhood that will fill oceanfront property on the Rockaways peninsula in Queens.
The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development...
The 209-unit Mirasol apartments are under construction adjacent to downtown Celebration near Orlando, Florida. The units average 1,700 square feet and will rent from $900 to $1,900. The project increases the density downtown, and raises the number...
One of the nation’s largest new urban brownfield projects, Mission Bay in San Francisco, is facing difficulties with the recession and collapse of the office market in the Bay area, according to the San Francisco Examiner. Catellus Corp. has stopped...
In Provo, Utah, The Village at Riverwoods was recognized with the Envision Utah Governor’s Quality Growth Award for Grand Achievement in Planning and Implementation. The 145-unit development of townhomes, flats, and live/work lofts will be completed...
BotAnica/Sea Plum, two projects designed together as a single new urban neighborhood, received approval recently from the Town of Jupiter, Florida. The 143-acre neighborhood has a total of 526 units and 55,000 square feet of retail. The projects are...
The annual report on real estate investment trends, Emerging Trends in Real Estate, is once more a benefit of CNU membership. This year, we are mailing it to all members except for associate members, at the beginning of the year, rather than waiting...
A $250 million, five-block project in a former industrial district of Portland, Oregon, combines new urban planning, high-density, mixed-use, contextual design, and adaptive reuse. In short, the Brewery Blocks, billed as Portland’s largest private...
The Canada Lands Company (CLC), the primary developer of government land in Canada, is moving toward making new urban principles the standard in its projects. CLC is a Crown corporation, i.e., the government is the only shareholder, which allows the...
Sprawl Watch’s recent report, “Creating a Healthy Environment: the Impact of the Built Environment on Public Health,” cites primary connections between sprawl and health as found by doctors and researchers from the CDC. Contact: allison@sprawlwatch....