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.
Cost of construction, price of real estate, uncertain economy, and lack of design precedent contribute to decision.
Home Depot has pulled back from plans to build a mixed-use, four-story building in Portland, Oregon (see the April/May 2001 issue...
The first traditional neighborhood development (TND) centered on a historic crossroads will serve as the heart of a sprawling suburb.
Cherry Hill Village in Canton Township, Michigan, could be called a true “second generation” TND because it...
The Board of Supervisors in Albemarle County, Virginia, has unanimously adopted The Neighborhood Model, a framework for development in designated growth areas in the Charlottesville region. New urbanist planning firm Torti Gallas and Partners/CHK...
As rental rates begin to climb, developer jump-starts a nonprofit organization to build and maintain affordable housing and space for arts groups.
Three years ago, Albuquerque’s downtown was almost devoid of housing, the office vacancy rate was...
CNU’s ninth Congress highlights regionalism and the environment.
While attendance was down slightly compared with last year’s Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), the 1,100 people gathered in New York City saw ample evidence that the New Urbanism...
Innovative regional programs in Georgia and California use DOT funds to leverage new urbanist planning and development.
In the Atlanta region, $350 million is slated to be spent on transportation improvements linked to smart growth projects in...
The University of Maryland has named Gerrit Knaap, a nationally-recognized scholar on the economics and politics of land-use planning, to serve as director of research for the university’s new National Center for Smart Growth Research, Education...
Partners for a Livable Western New York, based in Buffalo, has about 60 members, including many who belong to the Congress for the New Urbanism. The group consists mainly of professionals — i.e., architects, planners, traffic engineers, attorneys,...
A four-screen theater in the town center of Southern Village is running movies every Friday and Saturday night on the town green. Moviegoers bring blankets and chairs and are charged three dollars. The event has been very popular and adds energy to...
Narrow streets are not only safer and more pedestrian-friendly, they also cost less. According to recent calculations by a Utah consultant, the cost of resurfacing a 24 ft. road with two inches of asphalt is $45,619 per linear mile. The cost...
The US Department of Energy has developed a “New Tools for Community Design and Decision Making” website based on a presentation by Peter Katz. Contains ideas, tools, and resources from professionals in the field. See www.sustainable. doe.gov/...
A 10,000 sq. ft., two-story mixed-use building has replaced an abandoned gas station at the gateway to historic Beaufort, South Carolina. Offices and retail stores face the street, while five loft apartments occupy the second floor of the building,...