Top 5 Stories from the Week (Oct 8–Oct 12, 2018)

Here's our top content from the week.  Sign up for our email list to get this delivered to your inbox every Friday.

1. Wide Streets as a Tool of Oppression

by Nolan Gray | October 8, 2018

Wide, straight, monumental streets have always served the interests of those in power. They allow for the mobilization of military force, subordinate the unplanned chaos of the city to grandiose visions, and have been used to dispossess and displace small businesses, the poor, and racial and political minorities.

2. The Failure of "Just Add Water" Urbanism

by Arian Horbovetz | October 9, 2018

To assume that a street-forward, mixed use development will activate a lifeless area is like assuming that gardening is a matter of “just add water.” In reality, different urban environments—like different soils, climates, and plants—require different elements of care.

3. The Inertia of Lines on Paper

by Charles Marohn | October 8, 2018

Decades ago, we decided where roads will go. Whether it makes sense or not today, that is where they must go.

4. 64.6 Brings a Community Together in Revitalized Downtown Fort Smith

by Daniel Herriges | October 10, 2018

A nonprofit placemaking organization is bringing events, parks, public art and more to downtown Fort Smith, Arkansas, one playful experiment at a time.

5. The Causes of Traffic and Congestion

by Andrew Price | October 4, 2018

Will this new development make traffic worse? The conventional wisdom about the relationship between development and traffic contains a number of important misconceptions.

Top photo via Wikimedia Commons