Return of the 'Publiksquare'

"At a time when four-lane highways and commercial supercenters dominate the American landscape, many small towns are once again clustering around a Southern tradition: the courthouse square....Meanwhile, local officials and urban planners say the courthouse square is being revived as a center of commerce and a public gathering place."

Under the courthouse square concept, once known as 'publiksquare', land is plotted on a grid with a courthouse serving as the center of the community. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, courthouses often functioned as activity hubs. Many are advocating for the revival of the courthouse hub concept as a strategy for reversing sprawl.