Omaha :: Midtown Crossing at Turner Park

Putting the Urban in New Urbanism

New Urbanism is a thoughtful response to the costly suburban sprawl and automobile-dominated lifestyle that typifies most American cities. The movement strives to create sustainable, pedestrian-friendly communities that offer a lively mix of retail and a variety housing types within a network of clearly defined streetscapes, parkland and public spaces. Ironically, the most significant, privately developed projects that adhere to the New Urbanism criteria have been constructed in suburban greenfield sites, consisting primarily of detached, single family, upper income residences. Most publicly funded projects that adhere to these same criteria have tended to be rebuilt HUD-sponsored housing in inner city, lower income neighborhoods. New Urbanism has had a split personality. Until now. View full article

St. Joseph, MO :: Historic preservation

CertainTeed helps restore classic look of 1920s home

Vinyl siding is often the preferred exterior cladding option when the City of St. Joseph, MO, coordinates home restoration projects for people who own older, weatherworn homes in St. Joseph and are either disabled or elderly and on a fixed income. Vinyl is competitively priced and provides the look of traditional wood siding without needing periodic maintenance, making it an excellent choice for such projects. However, the City occasionally runs into snags when one of these homes borders historic districts protected by the Missouri State Historic Preservation Office or the National Registry of Historic Places. Both agencies typically insist on the use of traditional building materials, such as wood and slate. View full article