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.
There is still time to submit case studies on the crime prevention and public safety benefits of the New Urbanism to Al Zelinka and Dean Brennan, who are working on a book for the American Planning Association’s Planners Press. The final deadline...
A 37,000 square foot grocery store is expected to open its doors in McKenzie Towne in Calgary, Alberta, before the end of the year. This may be the first sizable supermarket to open in a pedestrian-oriented town center of a traditional neighborhood...
CNU membership is continuing to grow and diversify. We are now about 1,100 strong. Participation by developers, citizen activists, transportation advocates, environmentalists, and elected officials is on the rise. If you are a member and receive a...
As Mayor Norquist said so eloquently at our recent Board meeting, “New Urbanism ought to be orthodoxy in five years.” While that may be an ambitious goal, I believe that we do have a responsibility, as a movement, to be more than just a fad — that’s...
The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) in Atlantic City, New Jersey, is scheduled to break ground by the end of 1998 on a 150-home redevelopment on three and a half city blocks. The homes, inspired by vernacular architecture, include...
Vince Graham has firsthand knowledge of the negative consequences of attempting a new urbanist development in a town without an ordinance specifically allowing such projects. When proposing I’On, a 243-acre traditional neighborhood development (TND...
While the New Urbanism is still strongly discouraged by most subdivision and zoning ordinances, an increasing number of local jurisdictions are approving laws that allow mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented developments.
New Urban News and the Congress...
Northwest Landing, a traditional neighborhood development near Tacoma, Washington, is outdistancing its competitors by a long margin. From January to September, 101 homes were sold in the project, compared to 58 in Russellwood, the next best selling...
Residents of Kentlands, the Gaithersburg, Maryland, TND, took control of their destiny with regards to Midtown, the town center. The developer, Guy Beatty, wanted to build a 180,000 square foot Target superstore — claiming that a smaller, pedestrian...
CNU’s Task Forces have taken an active role this year planning our annual Congress. CNU VII: The Wealth of Cities will be held in Milwaukee, June 3-6, 1999. The Task Force Chairs are meeting in San Francisco this month to help cull through the many...
Federal money finally came through to begin construction of Del Paso Nuevo, a 150-acre new urbanist neighborhood in Sacramento, California. Designed by Jeff Townsend of Vail Engineering, Del Paso Nuevo was one of the first Homeownership Zones...
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) responded quickly to two recent attacks on sprawl, one by Vice President Al Gore and the other by the Sierra Club (both are reported in this issue of New Urban News). Perceiving that its industry is...