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.
Knowledge workers in today’s “new economy” are seeking high quality places to live with urban amenities like sidewalk cafes and bicycle trails, according to a recent article in the Christian Science Monitor. The trend marks a reversal of the...
In late August, CNU hosted a delegation of Chinese housing officials in San Francisco as they recruited American talent for a new enterprise: developing pedestrian-scale, mixed-use, traditional neighborhoods in the booming cities of Beijing and...
Vickery, the first complete new urbanist neighborhood proposed in the Atlanta region, is running into opposition from neighbors who object to its density. The 210-acre development in Forsythe County is proposed for a site that currently has half-...
The Tucson new urbanist community pushes forward in the wake of a builder pullout, a search for a new development partner, and mixed reviews from local environmentalists.
As Kermit the Frog would say, it ain’t easy being green. That’s the case...
The word from the shopping center industry is that the “Main Street” model for retail development is here to stay. A recent article in the trade magazine Shopping Center World, suggests a groundswell of support for the trend among public officials...
Sales are off to a strong start in WaterColor, a new urbanist resort town in the Florida Panhandle. Located immediately adjacent to Seaside, WaterColor is being developed by Arvida, an arm of the St. Joe Company, Florida’s largest landowner. The...
Hillsborough County, Florida, is moving forward with a plan that could create sites for as many as 17 new urbanist neighborhoods in the county’s northwest sector. The plan by Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company (DPZ) identifies sites for 11 possible...
Is the New Urbanism effective in rebuilding and revitalizing cities? According to academic research presented to the Association of American Geographers this year, the answer is yes.
CNU.org, the on-line face of CNU, is undergoing a massive overhaul. It will soon include a database of all CNU members, a raft of new urbanist projects, and a constantly updated calendar. The website will also serve to keep you up-to-date on the...
Port Wentworth, Georgia, seeks revival through New Urbanism.
Can a small, ailing industrial and port city find new life and new tax revenue by building a 5,000-acre new town? Port Wentworth City Manager David Rutherford is convinced that a new...
Former HUD Secretary and major builder Kaufman and Broad join forces to construct housing in cities.
Prompted by the wave of revitalization efforts sweeping American cities, Henry Cisneros and Kaufman and Broad have formed a joint venture company...
The Town of Cornelius, North Carolina, signed a letter of intent with Simonini Development Group to develop a 125-acre transit-oriented project. The 950-unit, mixed-use project on the other side of a planned rail line from Cornelius’ town center was...