Recounting a recent trip to Great Barrington, Massachusetts, writer Philip Langdon shares the pleasure of the small town's main street.
"While driving through a little town in the Berkshires, I glanced sideways for a moment and found myself looking at the perfect American street.
Railroad Street it was named, about 163 years ago, because near one end of it ran the tracks of the Housatonic Railroad, which arrived in the 1840s to connect the Berkshires to New Milford and Bridgeport. The tracks are still there, carrying an occasional freight train.
I pulled over for a closer inspection. What was it that made Railroad Street - a narrow passage lined by buildings more than a century old - so appealing? Partly it's the location at the center of Great Barrington, Mass. (pop. 7,527) - a town where a generous flow of tourist dollars keeps the restaurants flourishing, the clothing and jewelry stores profitable, the arts and crafts shops busy and the buildings well cared for."
Thanks to Andres Duany
FULL STORY: The Perfect American Street

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

What Forest Service Cuts Mean for Cities
U.S. Forest Service employees work on projects that have impacts far beyond remote, rural wilderness areas.

North Texas Transit Leaders Tout Benefits of TOD for Growing Region
At a summit focused on transit-oriented development, policymakers discussed how North Texas’ expanded light rail system can serve as a tool for economic growth.

Poorest NYC Neighborhoods Pay Price for Delivery Boom
The rise of ‘last-mile’ e-commerce warehouses — and their attendant truck traffic and air pollution — is disproportionately impacting the most historically disadvantaged parts of the city.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland