As New Urbanists, we often focus on incremental change and how small towns with limited resources can use “Tactical Urbanism” to help revitalize their struggling downtowns. An alternative approach is to embark upon a major project that will potentially transform a downtown, hoping that the project creates regional buzz, becoming a magnet for attracting new business and visitors to the downtown.

Connected Communities legislation in Cincinnati proposed major changes to the City’s 20-year-old zoning code related to middle housing, parking, density, height, and affordability.

This significant restructuring of Indianapolis's zoning code will not usher in a resurgence of neglected neighborhoods overnight, nor does it solve all of the challenges around equitable development and access to affordable housing. However, what it does do is lay the foundation for more housing types, such as apartment homes, rowhouses, and larger apartment buildings with pedestrian orientation along BRT corridors, in locations where it was not permitted previously.

The “Collector Strip” is possibly the most important element of a pedestrian-friendly street corridor yet it is perhaps the most misunderstood and underappreciated.

CNU Midwest sat down with Kathleen Norris the owner of Urban Fast Forward, a commercial real estate and planning firm based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Kathleen is an expert in retail strategies and specializes in creating neighborhood and downtown destinations.

Imagine your city. Think of one major road that cuts through the urban core. In most of the US, odds are this road is too wide, not that walkable, and has some missing teeth. Cities across America are working to fix these mid-century errors through planning, design, and infrastructure investment. The “Corridors” theme of 2023’s CNU Congress in Charlotte showcased the importance of these efforts. Today we’re zooming in on Louisville, KY’s version of this work, a plan called Broadway All the Way.

Covington is in the midst of a redevelopment wave. A number of prominent historic buildings have recently been rehabbed and several large new mixed-use buildings are in the planning stages or under construction.