Search — Build a Better Burb

20-Minute Living

Being able to do all of the necessary and enjoyable things that make life great within 20 minutes of your home.

Sense of Place, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Sustainability, Community

331 Wadsworth Avenue

Context-sensitive development to reinvigorate vacant block in beachfront downtown

Housing Reinvented, Innovative Parking, Multi-Family Housing

60 California Street Building

Ventura, CA tries something different than traditional zoning; new building “makes a statement for the downtown”

Sense of Place, Better Transit/Less Parking, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Planning, Innovative Parking

A Plan Comes Together

Environmentalists and builders come together to support historic plan to preserve Carmans River

Thinking Regionally, Environment, Planning, Sustainability

Ag-Island

Putting the ”farm” back in ”Farmingdale” this idea consolidates office space and restores farm lands.

Thinking Regionally, Environment, Sustainability, Alternative Transportation

Arverne by the Sea

Arverve by the Sea, an improbable but successful new beachfront community

Housing Reinvented, Sense of Place, Better Transit/Less Parking, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Community, Transit-Oriented Development, Multi-Family Housing, Walkability

Attain This!

Affordable, ultra-low energy home to be built in Deer Park

Housing Reinvented, Environment, Equity, Futuristic, Sustainability

Automated Parking's Potential

Automated parking used to be more prevalent in the US and is slowly making a comeback.

Better Transit/Less Parking, Innovative Parking

Benedict Commons

Affordable in-town housing for local workers in Colorado’s Hamptons

Housing Reinvented, Sense of Place, Better Transit/Less Parking, Thinking Regionally, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Community, Environment, Walkability, Transit-Oriented Development, Multi-Family Housing, Innovative Parking, Sustainability, Equity

Bethpage MOMA P.S. 2

Envisioning a network of vibrant new arts institutions to build cultural capital and help stem the brain drain.

Sense of Place, Thinking Regionally, Arts and Culture, Collaboration, Community

Bicycles as a Transit Solution?

Making transportation by bicycle easier and more practical.

Better Transit/Less Parking, Alternative Transportation

Big Beaver Corridor

Big Beaver Corridor: from commercial strip to world-class boulevard

Sense of Place, Better Transit/Less Parking, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Transit-Oriented Development, Alternative Transportation, Multi-Family Housing, Planning, Sprawl Retrofit, Walkability

Bold Senior Housing Ideas

A unique master planned community to encourage social and communal engagement

Sense of Place, Community, Planning

Bringing LEED to Your Community

LEED standards for a whole community not just individual buildings

Thinking Regionally, Sustainability, Planning

Building a City in the Sky?

A science fiction design proposal to build a new city in the sky

Thinking Regionally, Futuristic, Planning, Community

Burnham Building

In Westchester County, obsolete historic factory building is adapted into public library and apartments

Housing Reinvented, Sense of Place, Better Transit/Less Parking, Community, Transit-Oriented Development, Multi-Family Housing, Historic Preservation, Arts and Culture, Equity, Walkability

Can a Song Change Suburbia?

Arcade Fire’s call to action to planners and architects alike

Sense of Place, Community, Planning, Sustainability

Car-Free City

Sunday streets in San Francisco – car-free

Sense of Place, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Walkability

Changing the Status Quo

A community effort to jump start economic development and entrepreneurship

Sense of Place, Community, Planning, Collaboration

City of Tomorrow?

Southwest Florida’s City of Tomorrow aims to be the world’s first solar-powered city

Thinking Regionally, Futuristic, Sustainability, Community

Collin County Center for the Arts

Culture gets a boost in Dallas suburbs

Sense of Place, Thinking Regionally, Community, Innovative Parking, Arts and Culture

Colony at Bandon Cove

Rowhouses blend with natural setting, win design accolades

Housing Reinvented, Sense of Place, Multi-Family Housing

Columbia Pike

On main street in the D.C. suburbs, dilapidated grocery store and parking lot are reinvented as mixed-use building

Housing Reinvented, Sense of Place, Better Transit/Less Parking, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Transit-Oriented Development, Multi-Family Housing, Planning, Sprawl Retrofit

Community Matters

Rewards of living in a small-scale community

Sense of Place, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Sustainability, Community

Creating The "There" In Greenport

Greenport's transformation from a distressed community to a vibrant destination.

Sense of Place, Community, Collaboration, Planning, Historic Preservation, Arts and Culture

Crossings at Gresham Station

Amsterdam—or the Portland suburbs? Apartments by light rail have long waiting list

Housing Reinvented, Better Transit/Less Parking, Alternative Transportation, Collaboration, Innovative Parking, Multi-Family Housing, Transit-Oriented Development, Walkability

Del Mar Station

Old train depot restored; new houses and shops built around trolley station

Housing Reinvented, Better Transit/Less Parking, Sense of Place, Alternative Transportation, Equity, Historic Preservation, Innovative Parking, Multi-Family Housing, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Transit-Oriented Development, Walkability

Downtown Cotati

Blueprint for small town growth—in the hometown of the Accordion Festival

Sense of Place, Alternative Transportation, Arts and Culture, Community, Historic Preservation, Multi-Family Housing, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Planning, Sprawl Retrofit, Walkability

EcoVillage Bus Shelter

Bus shelter with living roof marks entrance to sustainable community

Housing Reinvented, Better Transit/Less Parking, Agriculture, Alternative Transportation, Collaboration, Community, Sustainability, Environment

Exploring Parking's Potential

When parking is more than parked cars

Better Transit/Less Parking, Innovative Parking

Fair Oaks Court

Affordable housing wins accolades, weaves neighborhood back together

Housing Reinvented, Better Transit/Less Parking, Sense of Place, Community, Equity, Historic Preservation, Innovative Parking, Multi-Family Housing, Pedestrian-Oriented Development

Glenwood Park

Glenwood Park turns obsolete industrial landscape into walkable, complete neighborhood

Housing Reinvented, Sense of Place, Thinking Regionally, Environment, Walkability, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Community, Multi-Family Housing, Sustainability

Granada Court

Reminiscent of Mediterranean village, new housing enhances downtown theater district

Housing Reinvented, Better Transit/Less Parking, Arts and Culture, Innovative Parking, Multi-Family Housing, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Walkability

Green is the only way to go

A 10-home development looking to upend the way homes are designed, built, sold, and lived in.

Housing Reinvented, Sustainability, Multi-Family Housing, Planning

Green Roof, Hilltop Hanover Farm

Westchester County residents get a taste of farm life; chicken coop has a living roof

Thinking Regionally, Agriculture, Collaboration, Equity, Sustainability, Environment

Happy Meal for New Hyde Park

McDonald's patrons dine in circa 1860 house: a win-win for residents and restaurant chain

Sense of Place, Community, Historic Preservation, Planning, Sprawl Retrofit

Hercules Waterfront District

Industrial waterfront gets a makeover as new town center in the Bay Area

Housing Reinvented, Better Transit/Less Parking, Sense of Place, Alternative Transportation, Collaboration, Historic Preservation, Multi-Family Housing, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Planning, Sprawl Retrofit, Transit-Oriented Development, Walkability, Environment

Highlands' Garden Village

In Denver, abandoned amusement park is reinvented as complete neighborhood; new life for carousel building

Housing Reinvented, Sense of Place, Better Transit/Less Parking, Thinking Regionally, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Community, Transit-Oriented Development, Multi-Family Housing, Sustainability, Historic Preservation, Equity, Walkability

Hinsdale Streetscape

Freshly planted tulips, tropicals, and cabbages beautify Village of Hinsdale’s downtown

Sense of Place, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Community, Walkability

Historic Downtowns

What can historic downtowns teach us about building appealing places today?

Regional Thinking, Sense of Place, Agriculture, Alternative Transportation, Arts and Culture, Collaboration, Historic Preservation, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Planning, Sprawl Retrofit, Sustainability, Transit-Oriented Development, Walkability, Environment

Historic Infrastructure

Repurposed bridges, waterworks, and rail infrastructure thrive as public spaces—and local communities flourish, too

Regional Thinking, Sense of Place, Alternative Transportation, Arts and Culture, Collaboration, Community, Futuristic, Historic Preservation, Multi-Family Housing, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Sustainability, Walkability

Increasing Density in Levittown

An exciting vision of the vast potential of rezoning for accessory dwelling units (“granny flats”) to increase housing choice

Housing Reinvented, Building Small, Community, Multi-Family Housing

Independence Civic Center

Independence’s new government building is located downtown, with a water view

Sense of Place, Environment, Walkability, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Community, Sustainability

Land for Living not Parking

Options to share parking spaces and create more living spaces

Better Transit/Less Parking, Innovative Parking, Planning

Living Market

Retrofitting Long Island downtowns to support social diversity: working and living in the downtown marketplace

Housing Reinvented, Agriculture, Collaboration, Community, Equity, Multi-Family Housing, Sustainability

London DIY Streets

A DIY approach to sprucing up London’s streets

Sense of Place, Community, Planning, Collaboration

Long Island Radically Rezoned

Imagine Long Island functioning as one single entity. Radical!

Thinking Regionally, Sustainability, Futuristic, Transit-Oriented Development, Environment

Making Multi-Family Marvelous

Innovations in multi-family housing options

Housing Reinvented, Multi-Family Housing, Community, Pedestrian-Oriented Development

Meet Farmer D

Building communities through farming and gardening

Sense of Place, Community, Sustainability, Agriculture

Mesa Arts Center

Mesa Arts Center turns suburban bedroom community into cultural destination; revitalizes blighted downtown

Sense of Place, Thinking Regionally, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Community, Arts and Culture, Walkability, Sprawl Retrofit

Metro Green Apartments

Metro Green Apartments: affordable, green, and steps away from the train station in Stamford

Housing Reinvented, Better Transit/Less Parking, Thinking Regionally, Environment, Walkability, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Transit-Oriented Development, Multi-Family Housing, Sustainability, Equity

Mission Meridian Village

South Pasadena development capitalizes on new transit access

Housing Reinvented, Better Transit/Less Parking, Sense of Place, Alternative Transportation, Building Small, Collaboration, Innovative Parking, Multi-Family Housing, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Planning, Transit-Oriented Development, Walkability

Not Another House Museum!

Jammin' at an unlikely venue: a house museum garden party

Sense of Place, Agriculture, Arts and Culture, Collaboration, Community, Equity, Historic Preservation, Sustainability

Parking as Sculpture

Miami’s latest addition to parking evokes sculptural forms

Better Transit/Less Parking, Innovative Parking

Personal Rapid Transit

Small vehicles linking airport terminals and more

Better Transit/Less Parking, Alternative Transportation

Placentia-Westgate Plan

Transformative plan for L.A. bedroom community: new neighborhoods around new train station and old downtown

Housing Reinvented, Better Transit/Less Parking, Alternative Transportation, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Planning, Sprawl Retrofit, Transit-Oriented Development, Walkability, Environment

Pocket Neighborhoods

Creating small-scale community in a large-scale world; an interview with architect Ross Chapin

Housing Reinvented, Community, Building Small, Planning

Princeton Public Library

In the Jersey suburbs, a library located in the heart of downtown is one of the State’s busiest

Sense of Place, Better Transit/Less Parking, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Community, Innovative Parking, Arts and Culture, Walkability

Rail Park

Design proposal for an adaptive reuse of surplus rail yards and train cars for new community and arts programs in Port Jefferson.

Sense of Place, Arts and Culture, Community, Collaboration

Re-Emerging Past

Advocates planning solutions for the future based on historical mixed-use forms from the past

Sense of Place, Planning, Sprawl Retrofit, Historic Preservation

Rebirth of Denver's Civic Center

Downtowns: hubs not only of commerce, but also of civic institutions and the arts

Thinking Regionally, Sense of Place, Arts and Culture, Community, Historic Preservation, Planning, Sprawl Retrofit, Walkability

Reclaiming Community

Infill opportunities to balance community needs with needed repair of the threatened Hempstead Plains ecology

Thinking Regionally, Sense of Place, Environment, Sprawl Retrofit, Sustainability

Recycling the Old for the New

Reimagining former industrial buildings for today’s businesses and families

Sense of Place, Historic Preservation, Arts and Culture, Community

Renaissance of Place

Reconnecting to the vitality and unique character of Hudson NY

Sense of Place, Historic Preservation, Arts and Culture, Community

Restoring an 'All American City'

Restoring an historic theatre in order to revive a classic city

Sense of Place, Historic Preservation, Arts and Culture, Community

Saratoga Springs

Saratoga Springs shows that true urban renewal means civic involvement and utilizing historic resources, not bulldozing

Sense of Place, Arts and Culture, Collaboration, Community, Historic Preservation, Planning, Sprawl Retrofit

Silver Gardens Apartments

New apartments achieve goal of Albuquerque’s business community—and give a home to low-income residents

Housing Reinvented, Thinking Regionally, Alternative Transportation, Community, Equity, Innovative Parking, Multi-Family Housing, Sustainability, Transit-Oriented Development, Walkability, Environment

SOL in Austin

Building sustainable communities

Housing Reinvented, Sustainability, Building Small

Solar House, Six-Course Dinner

At the Solar Decathlon, plants showcase connection of houses to nature

Housing Reinvented, Thinking Regionally, Agriculture, Sustainability, Environment

South Miami Hometown

South Miami residents get their Main Street back

Housing Reinvented, Sense of Place, Better Transit/Less Parking, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Community, Transit-Oriented Development, Multi-Family Housing, Planning, Innovative Parking, Sprawl Retrofit, Historic Preservation, Equity, Walkability

Stories of Place

More complete understanding of history is easy to swallow in Astoria beer garden

Thinking Regionally, Sense of Place, Arts and Culture, Collaboration, Community, Equity, Historic Preservation

Strip Mall Save Suburbia?

Strip mall architecture creatively re-imagined as a mixed-use building type that can be built on parking lots in commercial areas

Housing Reinvented, Sense of Place, Sprawl Retrofit, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Transit-Oriented Development

Stroll Through Santa Barbara

Visitors and locals leave cars behind in downtown Santa Barbara

Better Transit/Less Parking, Alternative Transportation, Innovative Parking, Walkability

SUB-HUB Transit System

A feeder transit system, anchored at public school sites, reducing cars in downtowns and providing enhanced civic hubs

Thinking Regionally, Better Transit/Less Parking, Alternative Transportation

Suburban Retrofitting Design Tact

Suburban Retrofitting Design Tactics

Tactics to creatively retrofit suburban downtowns – reinhabit, redevelop and/or regreen

Housing Reinvented, Sense of Place, Better Transit/Less Parking, Thinking Regionally, Building Small, Collaboration, Community, Historic Preservation, Multi-Family Housing, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Planning, Sprawl Retrofit, Sustainability, Walkability

Sundquist Pavilion and Riley Park

In a suburb where cars rule, town green and farmers market replace strip mall parking lot

Sense of Place, Better Transit/Less Parking, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Community, Collaboration, Agriculture, Sprawl Retrofit, Arts and Culture, Walkability

Teddy Cruz: Thinking Global

Talking about suburbia in terms of social, economic, racial conflict and diversity (or the present lack thereof).

Thinking Regionally, Community, Planning, Equity

That's a Garage?

Garages that look like works of art. Garages that blend seamlessly into the streetscape.

Better Transit/Less Parking, Innovative Parking

The Electric Car Makes a Comeback

Communities make headway in adopting the electric car and creating public charging stations

Better Transit/Less Parking, Alternative Transportation

The Main Street Movement

Downtowns across the U.S. are leveraging historic resources to encourage new local business

Sense of Place, Arts and Culture, Collaboration, Community, Historic Preservation, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Planning, Walkability

The Myth of Free Parking

There is no such thing as free parking and thinking there is sits at the root of many urban and suburban problems.

Better Transit/Less Parking, Planning, Innovative Parking

The Public Studio

The Public Studio -- working with cities, artists, organizations to create projects that engage communities and the spaces they inhabit.

Thinking Regionally, Community, Planning, Collaboration

The Revitalization of Main Street

Transforming a deserted downtown into a must-see destination

Sense of Place, Historic Preservation, Arts and Culture, Community

The Sprawl Repair Manual

Galina Tachieva on how to repair suburban sprawl.

Sense of Place, Community, Planning, Pedestrian-Oriented Development

The Willits

Empty nesters, retirees, and young entrepreneurs buy downtown condos; one resident traded in his ranch house

Housing Reinvented, Sense of Place, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Multi-Family Housing, Sprawl Retrofit, Walkability

Trumansburg Residence Green Roof

Blooming wildflowers on the front portico, and lower energy bills too

Housing Reinvented, Sustainability, Environment

Uptown Normal Circle

Uptown Normal Circle: “living plaza where naturally cleansed stormwater, public space, and transportation work in unison”

Sense of Place, Better Transit/Less Parking, Thinking Regionally, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Community, Alternative Transportation, Planning, Sustainability, Walkability

Vista del Arroyo Bungalows

Piece of history, once neglected, is now revived and transformed

Housing Reinvented, Better Transit/Less Parking, Sense of Place, Historic Preservation, Innovative Parking, Multi-Family Housing

War of the Woods

Saving Long Island’s Pine Barrens

Thinking Regionally, Environment, Planning, Sustainability

Wonderland Station

Revere Beach: a 21st century take on the public beach and train station

Housing Reinvented, Better Transit/Less Parking, Alternative Transportation, Arts and Culture, Futuristic, Innovative Parking, Multi-Family Housing, Sprawl Retrofit, Transit-Oriented Development

Working Artists Ventura

Working Artists Ventura: green live-work artists’ village, plus jazz clubs and wine bars

Housing Reinvented, Sense of Place, Thinking Regionally, Pedestrian-Oriented Development, Community, Multi-Family Housing, Collaboration, Sustainability, Arts and Culture, Equity