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.
More than 800 designers, planners, developers, activists, environmentalists and politicians participated in CNU VI in Denver. This represented a 180 percent increase in attendance from CNU V in Toronto. Approximately one-third of the attendees were...
The costs of the New Urbanism still are a subject of intense debate, as indicated by an analysis by the Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition (REBIC), based in Charlotte, North Carolina. REBIC has an ax to grind — the group objects to zoning...
At more than 19 square miles, the Mesa del Sol property in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is the largest undeveloped parcel of urban land under single ownership near a central business district in North America, according to the New Mexico Land Office,...
An abundance of books have come out of interest to new urbanists. These include: The Wealth of Cities: Revitalizing the Centers of American Life, by Mayor John Norquist of Milwaukee, a dedicated new urbanist; Architecture: Choice or Fate, by Leon...
The National Building Museum is seeking to raise $50,000 to $100,000 from foundations, businesses and other groups to mount an exhibit, The New Urbanism and the Future of Community. It would be presented in a 3,000 square foot gallery in the former...
The Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) Company was formed by Andres Duany, Robert Kramer and Jeffrey Fleeman. Kramer is an architect and partner with Fleeman in the development of Haile Village Center in Gainesville, Florida, one of the best...
We at New Urban News recently saw an advertisement for 20-plus home plan books from Home Planners Inc. of Tucson, Arizona. Four of the books looked promising from a neotraditional development standpoint: Affordable Home Plans; 200 Narrow-Lot Home...
Abacoa, the 6,000-unit traditional neighborhood development (TND) in Jupiter, Florida, is now under full-scale development. The Montreal Expos and St. Louis Cardinals played their first spring training season in a stadium in the town center, while...
Recognizing that smaller is sometimes better, Wal-Mart announced that it is opening three 40,000 square foot stores in the towns of Springdale, Bentonville and Sherwood, Arkansas. The average size of Wal-Mart stores are 92,000 square feet. The...
Detroit, an urban basketcase in recent decades, is going through a resurgence. Massive development projects in the city include two stadiums and three casinos (scheduled to open in 2001). Furthermore, General Motors is preparing to move its world...
Memphis will go ahead with implementation of its Greenlaw-Manassas Neighborhood Homeowner-ship Zone — although it was not chosen for a 1998 grant. The project is interesting from a new urbanist prospective, because it is located next to (and will...
More than 775 people attended the Congress for the New Urbanism VI in Denver April 30 through May 3, an increase of 150 percent from last year. This growth in attendance caused a few uncomfortably crowded sessions, but also is a sign of the amazing...