Ten Most Enlightened Suburbs - Models for the Future

At UTNE Reader Peter Katz and Jay Walljasper outline ten North American communities that are defying the notion of "suburb." As a whole, these ten places vary drastically in geography, climate, and age. And their successes - requiring affordable housing, revitalizing main streets, establishing regional transit systems, etc. - have been achieved by both municipal officials and resident activists. These model suburbs prove that there is no cookie-cutter formula to quality place-making. They show us that despite an uphill battle to combat sprawl, individuals can create positive change on many different levels. Now that Washington itself has changed, we need to work with the new leadership to fix what's wrong with the conventional suburbs and continue to build new communities that have value.

Photo: Town Sqaure at Kentlands; Gaithersburg, MD.