• A gentle genius

    It has been more than a week since we posted a notice of Leon Krier's passing. CNU was closed last week following the Congress, but we wanted to get a response out quickly to our members and audience, as he was such an important part of the New Urbanism movement. Since then, The Times of London and...Read more

  • In Hope of growth, a village plans better connections

    Hope Legacy Project offers a revitalization plan, focusing on pedestrian infrastructure for a Rhode Island village.
    Hope Village in Scituate, Rhode Island, reached its current size by approximately 1890. The 19th-century cotton mill, which drove the economy for a century, has been closed for five decades, precipitating a slow decline. The village is beloved by many for its small-town atmosphere, but the mill is...Read more

  • Leon Krier’s checklist

    The late architect and urban theorist wrote a to-do list for city founders, mayors, administrators, designers, settlers, and landowners.
    Leon Krier, who died last week , had definite ideas about city design and its details, large and small. Reprinted below is Krier’s checklist for community design and implementation, written for the Prince’s Foundation (now the King’s Foundation) in 2020. The publication Walkability and Mixed-Use:...Read more

  • Community has it made in the shade

    Oppressive summer heat is more bearable when a walkable community is designed for shade.
    As a heat dome hovers over the eastern and southern US, the topic of heat and urbanism is especially important. Most people associate urbanism with heat islands—which make urban places hotter—but that’s not always the case. Design choices can cool down urban places and make them more comfortable...Read more