New Urban News
A professional newsletter for planners, developers, architects, builders, public officials and others who are interested in the creation of human-scale communities.
July/August 2008, Vol. 13, No. 5
Freeways give way to boulevards — slowly
For every two successes, there seems to be one setback.
Cutting CO2 by keeping the car culture
California’s climate change proposal calls for a “business as usual” approach to land use; smart Growth advocates are urged to comment.
Finding the right tools for Appalachian planning
The Mountain Landscapes Initiative is getting an independent-minded, largely rural region to take action before too many ridgelines are built upon, and too many streams polluted.
Europeans struggle to revive traditional city-making
Private sector is receptive as urban centers undergo redevelopment and reconstruction.
Philip Langdon explains why an energy-intensive style of life doesn’t have a future.
Available in print only:
“Flex boulevard” coming to Vancouver
Granville Street, historically one of the premier shopping streets in Vancouver, will get a $20.8 million (CA) makeover in September.
Austin tests limits of dense, two-story housing
Texas projects point to an emerging issue: How much private outdoor space is needed?
Alternatives to the shrunken back yard
At what point does a lot become too small for livability? When should detached houses give way to a different housing type?
NJ infill project underway
The first phase of Liberty Harbor, a 28-block project near the Hudson River in Jersey City, New Jersey, is nearly complete.
Large TOD moves forward in Hawaii
A large-scale transit-oriented development (TOD) is being planned about 15 miles northwest of Honolulu, Hawaii. The proposed development, called Ho’opili, includes 12,000 units on 1,600 acres.
Book reviews:
Big-Box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America’s Independent Businesses
Also: CNU Update
Plus: Westgate, Pasadena • New Town at Liberty • Ward Davis • Waveland, Mississippi • “Top 10 Neighborhoods” • Metro Green Apartments • Village at Valley Forge • stormwater permit framework • call for changes in the LEED rating system • Sonoma Mountain Village • EcoDensity Initiative • the City of Hercules • the City of Salinas • Kenneth Schwartz • the largest transit-oriented development yet undertaken • expedite development along avenues in Toronto •HOK Planning Group • Akruti University
New Urbanism: Comprehensive
Report & Best Practices Guide
The definitive reference for new urban ideas, practices, and projects
Octavia Boulevard in San Francisco, which replaced a portion of the city’s Central freeway damaged by the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, is a model for freeway-to-boulevard advocates. Photo by Elizabeth MacDonald.
Books
One approach to MountainWatch, NC, preserving a much higher percentage of the site as a large, cohesive open space, providing a wide variety of housing and highly coveted views, a walkable community, and opportunities for affordable housing mixed with market rate. Image courtesy of The Lawrence Group.
Città Nuova, planned and designed by Leon Krier and Tagliaventi & Associates, is one of many new urban developments in Europe. Photo courtesy of A Vision of Europe.
