In the past year, activity around local food systems increased dramatically. Government has been involved in supporting food systems for decades, but primarily through programs adopted at the federal level to both promote food production and protect the health of consumers. But having government wor … Read more

Mixed-use, higher density, walkable neighborhoods serviced by rapid transit are models of good city planning today. Bringing people, different building uses, and public spaces closer together and providing transit access between those activity hubs and other parts of the city improves equity, sustai … Read more

Throughout the United States, transportation infrastructure is dominated by automobile-oriented streets. They connect our neighborhoods and our communities, our urban centers and our rural peripheries, our regions and our states. They facilitate not only commerce and economic development but also th … Read more

In April 2018, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) officially rebranded their Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program to Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD). Begun in 2009, the TIGER program has provided transportation improvement … Read more

In recent years, cities across the country have chosen to convert their one-way street networks into traditional two-way streets. This blog post will explore the roots of this widespread planning trend, its potential impacts on city streetscapes, as well as some common counterarguments to this movem … Read more

In October 2017, travel, entertainment, and food website Thrillist ranked Raleigh’s Warehouse District among “12 neighborhoods across America that are about to get crazy popular.” Matt Meltzer wrote, “Next year, the $80 million Union Station opens up, turning the warehouse district into Raleigh’s tr … Read more

The days of public buses pulling away from a bus stop with the loud growl of a diesel engine and a cloud of black smoke could become a thing of the past.  The company Proterra makes fully electric buses, and North Carolina will soon see four of these buses hit their streets.  The governing board for … Read more

Could you imagine living in a 135 square foot apartment? Well, a dozen students at the Savannah College of Art and Design did just that. Along with alumni and professors, the students turned a class project into reality. Through a special use permit, students temporarily lived in these micro-units i … Read more

A pedestrian bridge can be more than just a crossing structure. In some cases, it can be a piece of artwork and a gateway that connects communities. That said, sometimes the total costs and benefits of installing a pedestrian bridge are not fully considered. As such, there is an opportunity to explo … Read more

The real estate development process can become increasingly complex as new requirements are added to a project’s scope. Even when a project is on-schedule, it can be abruptly interrupted by the requirement of a government-mandated traffic impact analysis (TIA). TIAs can be costly and time-consuming, … Read more