Suburban Retrofit

Aerial view of suburban Sterling, Virginia near Washington D.C.

Retrofitting D.C.’s Suburbs for a New Era

How to equip suburban sprawl for a different future.

July 2, 2023 - Greater Greater Washington

Leadership Change Could Lead to Changes in Suburban Oakland County, Michigan

The suburban status quo is due for an update in Michigan's wealthiest county, and a new county executive is ready to lead the county in a new direction.

December 26, 2019 - CityLab

Ontario, Canada

Toronto's Biggest Story of 2019: Mississauga

The city of Mississauga is undergoing a transformation so complete that one Toronto-based write said the suburb is the city's issue of the year.

December 18, 2019 - Toronto Storeys

Maryland

Montgomery County Community Wants Walkability for its Town Center

A series of new investments in the civic realm aren’t enough—some in Wheaton, Maryland want the community to catch up with its neighbors in providing a walkable town center.

August 8, 2018 - Bethesda Magazine

Southern California

Los Angeles: Focus on Urban Design (Not Just Urban Planning)

By embracing timeless principles of urban placemaking, we can create walkable transit villages and make room for housing at every socioeconomic level. First we have to re-invigorate high quality urban design.

April 25, 2018 - Gerhard Mayer

Fayetteville, Arkansas

A Suburban Retrofit Rides the Bike Trails

Communities around Northwest Arkansas have placed bike infrastructure at the center of a plan to retrofit suburban communities.

April 6, 2018 - The Atlantic

Rail Trail rendering

Chamblee, Georgia Receives Funding to Fuel its Walkability Ambitions

A small grant with big meaning for the city of Chamblee.

March 2, 2018 - Curbed Atlanta

A Summary of CNU24 Detroit

Miss the Congress for the New Urbanism in Detroit? Hazel Borys shares some highlights, with help from Twitter urbanists.

July 8, 2016 - PlaceShakers

End of the Mall

How To: Makeovers for Struggling Malls

Lean Urbanism recently released a "lean" guide to sprawl repair—focusing on how to bring struggling shopping malls back to life.

March 26, 2016 - Lean Urbanism

The Next Frontier for Compact Walkability? It's Gotta Be the Burbs

Suburban retrofit: what's next in issues, approaches, strategies, and tools.

March 16, 2016 - PlaceShakers

Suburban Office Building

A Deep Dive into Suburban Retrofits

An interview with Ellen Dunham-Jones, co-author of "Retrofitting Suburbia," and Hazel Borys.

March 10, 2015 - PlaceShakers

Starbucks to go

What an Innocuous Piece of Plastic Says About Our Suburban Future

Suburban Starbucks models are bumming urbanists out. But they also served as a nice allegory of what the future there might hold. Scott Doyon's latest blog post explains.

October 6, 2014 - PlaceShakers

LEED Neighborhood Rises in Shadow of Pioneering Seattle Shopping Mall

A sprawling parking lot next to one of America's first suburban shopping malls is undergoing a monumental transformation into a dense mixed-use community complete with restorative park.

December 20, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Could a Controversial Project Inspire the Retrofitting of San Diego's Suburbs?

Urbanists hope approving a proposal to allow a 23-acre parcel zoned for 500,000 square feet of office space be developed with 1.4 million square feet of mixed-uses could stimulate suburban retrofits across San Diego.

December 18, 2013 - Voice of San Diego

A Model for a Smarter Suburban Streetscape

Half a century of auto-oriented suburban development presents a massive challenge to planners hoping to create more sustainable and livable communities. In South Miami's Hometown district, Kaid Benfield finds a model for how to begin this transition.

December 9, 2013 - NRDC Switchboard

aerial view of identical suburban homes

Why Millennials Might Save the Suburbs

Observers have anxiously wondered what will happen to America's urban revival as Millennials start families and seek the types of amenities more readily found in the suburbs. Relax, says Shane Phillips, cities will be fine and suburbs will be better.

August 28, 2013 - Better Institutions

Leave it to beaver house

Why 'Leave it to Beaver' Neighborhoods are Ripe for Renewal

The nation has a huge quantity of postwar housing that can be made more walkable and appealing to new generations of residents. Robert Steuteville examines what makes them good candidates and notes some examples of successful retrofits.

July 3, 2013 - Better! Cities & Towns

The Case for Protecting Strip Malls from 'Commercial Gentrification'

As our suburbs diversify, the most affordable commercial districts found in such areas (often in strip malls) become an important entry point for immigrants to build their 'American Dream'. Kaid Benfield asks if such opportunities deserve protection.

June 11, 2013 - NRDC Switchboard Blog

Ocean Grove Sidewalk

The Case for Age-Friendly Suburbs

Several trends are conspiring to challenge America's ability to house and care for its senior citizens. Utilizing successful examples, architect and planner Eric C.Y. Fang examines how the suburbs can be adapted to support an aging population.

April 5, 2013 - Eric C.Y. Fang

Healthy, or Unhealthy, by Design

We've engineered physical activity out of our daily lives but it need not be a chronic condition. Hazel Borys points to recent suburban retrofits for ways to get moving again.

March 26, 2013 - PlaceShakers

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Top Books

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.