• Right street, right place

    Don’t accept a one-size-fits-all street design for your city or town, or a highway design for your Main Street. Street designs that fit the context lead to better neighborhoods and communities.
    I’ve been noticing something more and more when I travel; while on a road trip, the design of the pavement will be the same regardless of what is around me. A highway surrounded by nature leads to a strip mall area, then to a residential neighborhood, then to a main street, and the only thing that...Read more

  • Finding your farm

    How to get started in small-scale development.
    Whether you’re a seasoned urbanist or a relatively new urbanist, you may have heard the terms “small-scale development” or “incremental housing”, but have wondered what it is or how to get started. I’ve been following three leaders in the field of urban-friendly development and I’m impressed with...Read more

  • CNU kicks off its 2026 Legacy Projects

    Three urban design projects this month aim to leave a lasting mark on Northwest Arkansas, the site of CNU 34 in May.
    CNU kicks off its 2026 Legacy Projects this coming week in Northwest Arkansas (NWA). They start with a charrette at Elm Springs, a small town to the west of Springdale, one of the region’s primary cities. The New Urbanist team led by TSW Design , with support from ZVA and DPZ, will work with the...Read more

  • The value of a ‘master street plan’

    Why wouldn't you design every city plan and every suburb with a tightly connected pattern of streets and blocks?
    Note: This week I posted a commentary on the importance of starting with a street grid and how this disappeared from city planning. This piece by David Green explores the disconnect between the value of master street plans and the ongoing opposition to their creation, and how this came to be. It...Read more