Urbanization? Keep it in the court...house square, that is.
"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.
Thanks to Connie Chung
Read the full story: 'Courthouse square' concept making small town comeback
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion
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FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority