Ben Goldman reports on a new illustrative guide, Sustainable Street Network Principles, published by the Congress for New Urbanism, that seeks to educate planners and officials on how to create successful streets and neighborhoods.
According to Goldman, as a plain language companion to the "engineerese" found in the Institute of Transportation Engineers' Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares , "The goal of the Principles is to promote development patterns that add value to communities."
"The way to do that, said CNU President John Norquist, is to design streets to play three simultaneous roles: that of a transportation thoroughfare, a commercial marketplace, and a public space. 'Typically, U.S. DOT and State DOTs tend to look at roads only in the dimension of movement, and even in that one dimension, their rural-style forms fail in the city,' Norquist says."
Read the full story: New Urbanists Release Principles for Sustainable Street Networks
A New Urbanist’s roadtrip guide to Northwest Arkansas
Heading to the CNU conference next month? A Northwest Arkansas urban planner has custom designed a roadtrip just for you.
The Century-Old Call for Open Streets
Historical reports from the Regional Plan Association show that car-free streets is an idea almost as old as automobiles themselves.
CNU Report Outlines Incremental Steps for More Walkable Suburbs
Transforming suburban sprawl is a massive undertaking, but these small steps can help communities understand their needs and assets and develop clear, actionable goals for the future.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Los Angeles just elected an urban planner as its mayor
Transportation analysts are optimistic that Raman will be more aggressive in addressing transit issues than Bass.
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge
A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
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