New Urbanism

How will the Physical Urban Environment be Affected by Obamacare?

Los Angeles County planner Clement Lau discusses what the Affordable Care Act means for hospital construction, design, and expansion.

April 23, 2014 - UrbDeZine

New Urbanism Gets a New Leader

Lynn Richards, formerly of the U.S. EPA's Office of Sustainable Communities, is set to become President of the Congress for the New Urbanism in July. In this interview, Richards says that forging new alliances will be a key goal for her.

April 17, 2014 - Better! Cities & Towns

Red Tape

'Lean Urbanism' Explained

“Lean urbanism” is the latest buzz-worthy term to enter the discussion on planning and urbanism. A recent article in Atlantic Cities explains the concept—which appeals to the younger generation as well as those with libertarian leanings.

March 17, 2014 - The Atlantic Cities

San Diego Satellite Town Asks: Smart Growth or Trojan Horse?

San Diego County's "most walkable city" is being challenged to identify the real smart growth: what it has or what is being proposed. At issue: a plan amendment for a high density project near transit. But is the project real?

February 19, 2014 - UrbDeZine.com

Seaside Entrance

Book Review: Visions of Seaside

A new anthology tells the story of Seaside like we've never heard it before–on its own terms.

January 21, 2014 - Vinayak Bharne

Populist Urbanism: Beyond the Creative Class

Smart Growth needs to adopt a more populist message, argues Robert Steuteville, and demonstrate how cities can empower people of all classes. Could "Lean Urbanism" provide the foundation?

November 8, 2013 - Better! Cities & Towns

The Unbuilt Origins of Seaside

Seaside, Florida is well known as the proving grounds for new urbanism, the place where Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk made a development into a town. Dhiru Thadani documents the early experiments and unbuilt designs in a new book.

October 23, 2013 - CNU

photo of abandoned buildings in Broves, France

What Is a Place Without the People?

In an illustrated essay, Chuck Wolfe contrasts the ideal form of the New England town with an abandoned French village, calling out the human infrastructure essential to successful urban places.

October 8, 2013 - myurbanist

El Paso Officials Spread the Gospel of New Urbanism

Looking to move beyond its history of sprawling development, El Paso turned to New Urbanism. But instead of hiring New Urbanist experts, the city decided to indoctrinate its staff and private sector designers in the movement's principles.

October 3, 2013 - Governing

Who'll Fix the Suburbs?

Two new books proffer the end of the suburbs and the salvation of dense urbanity. But the suburbs are "not about to shrivel," says Justin Davidson. So who should be responsible for fixing suburban dysfunction?

October 1, 2013 - New York Magazine

Can the World's Largest Office Park Change its Suburban Stripes?

North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park has a problem: the massive business park is woefully outdated, in both economic and architectural terms. Can it regain its status as a cutting-edge center of innovation by taking a page from the New Urbanism?

September 22, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Density Is the New Fertility Bogeyman

Joel Kotkin's muddle-headed theory on babies and urban living is aimed at blocking housing choice for young families, argues Robert Steuteville.

September 12, 2013 - Better! Cities & Towns

Is New Urbanism Best Suited to the Suburbs?

25 years after development started on Gaithersburg's model New Urbanist community Kentlands, Dan Malouff surveys the movement's impact on America's development patterns. He argues its products are more necessary in less-urban environments.

August 27, 2013 - Greater Greater Washington

view out a window of rooftops of Seaside, Florida

Does Seaside Deserve a Rethink?

Often forgotten amid the Truman Show jokes and architectural disdain are the iconic New Urbanist community's contributions to planning history, and its many innovations. Two new works are helping to reframe how the Florida town is understood.

August 15, 2013 - NRDC Switchboard

Beyond Zoning: Obstacles to Walkable Neighborhood Development

If the market demand is there, why isn't more mixed-use housing getting built? Follow the money.

June 27, 2013 - Tim Halbur

Seaside Entrance

New Urbanism's Chief Regret?

In his fifth entry in a lengthy examination of the successes and failures of New Urbanism, Peter Katz looks at one of the movement's key blindspots: the failure to help improve the processes and practices of local governments.

May 30, 2013 - Better! Cities & Towns

Successional Urbanism: An Interview with Andrés Duany

Architect and town planner Galina Tachieva sits down with New Urbanism innovator Andrés Duany to discuss the big and small topics on his mind today: lean urbanism, successional urbanism and the Transect, the orthodoxy of the small block, and more.

April 28, 2013 - Terrain.org: A Journal of the Built + Natural Environments

10 Principles for Smart Growth in Existing Communities

Frustrated by what's passing as "smart growth" and "transit oriented development," Bill Adams postulates ten refinements (or less subtly stated clarifications) of the principles of smart growth and new urbanism.

April 21, 2013 - UrbDeZine.com

Slow Growth of Albuquerque's Answer to Sprawl Raises Questions

Stan Alcorn checks up on the status of Mesa del Sol, a 12,900-acre public-private project that broke ground outside of Albuquerque in 2006, and was planned to be the largest New Urbanist development in the Southwest.

April 11, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Housing: New Game, New Rules?

Over the next two decades, we’re going to experience the most dramatic changes in American neighborhoods since the post-WWII era. Ben Brown looks at the changes on the horizon for the housing market, and the role planners will play in meeting them.

March 6, 2013 - PlaceShakers

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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.