Urbanizing Suburbia In Wisconsin

Glendale, Wisconsin, is taking some big steps to revitalize its downtown, and it's looking to big urban centers for inspiration. The city plans to redevelop the downtown shopping area with two- four- and six-story buildings, each with ground-level retail, as well as a central town square. The project is a throwback to the early days of close-proximity urban developments, but with a modern-day relevance that doesn't need the immense population of a major city to survive.

" 'I don't think people have grasped the scope of what's happening here,' said Glendale City Administrator Richard Maslowski, who has lived and breathed the project at the Bayshore shopping center for more than five years. 'Actually, some of it is just now sinking in for me.' "

"The development strives to create a place where people live, work and play - entertainment is as important as shopping - and is the first of its kind in the state, said Larry Witzling, professor of architecture at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee."