Congress for the New Urbanism

Congress for the New Urbanism
Simonhardt93 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Name	Congress for the New Urbanism
Abbreviation	CNU
Founded	1993
Founders	Andres Duany; Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk; Peter Calthorpe
Headquarters	Chicago, Illinois
Type	Nonprofit organization
Purpose	Urban design and planning advocacy

Congress for the New Urbanism is an American nonprofit organization advocating for walkable, mixed‑use neighborhood design and urban redevelopment. It promotes urbanist principles through publications, conferences, awards, and model codes, engaging architects, planners, developers, and public officials from cities such as New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, and Portland, Oregon. The organization has influenced projects ranging from transect zoning pilots in Miami Beach to transit‑oriented developments in San Francisco and Washington, D.C..

History

Founded in 1993 by practitioners associated with projects in Seaside, Florida, Pueblo Style, and the revival of traditional urban forms, the organization emerged amid debates involving figures like Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, and Peter Calthorpe. Early catalysts included criticism of suburban sprawl exemplified by developments in Phoenix, Arizona and policy discussions around the Interstate Highway System era, while responses drew on precedents such as Paris's Haussmannian boulevards and Georgian architecture patterns in Savannah, Georgia. The group organized conferences, notably annual meetings that attracted participants from institutions such as the Urban Land Institute, American Institute of Architects, and academics from Harvard Graduate School of Design and University of California, Berkeley.

Through the 1990s and 2000s it shaped municipal codes and model ordinances adopted in jurisdictions including Miami, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, and international examples in Vancouver, British Columbia and Copenhagen. Prominent publications and typologies influenced practitioners associated with firms like DPZ, Duany Plater‑Zyberk & Company, Perkins and Will, and planners working on New Urbanism‑aligned districts in London and Barcelona.

Principles and Charter of the New Urbanism

The organization codified its policy platform in a document widely referenced across practice and academia, aligning with prior movements such as the Garden City movement and later dialogues involving Jane Jacobs and Lewis Mumford. The Charter emphasizes walkability, mixed uses, regional planning, and sustainable transport modes linked to projects near rail corridors and streetcar revivals associated with cities like Portland, Oregon and Seattle. It prescribes urban form that connects to historic patterns visible in Charleston, South Carolina and Philadelphia, while also addressing resilience themes discussed in forums like the United Nations climate dialogues and institutions such as the World Bank.

The Charter’s tenets have been referenced by municipal planning commissions, urban design juries at the AIA exhibitions, and academic curricula at programs including Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.

Programs and Initiatives

Programs include an annual Congress drawing speakers from organizations such as the Brookings Institution, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, and practitioners affiliated with Zaha Hadid Architects and Foster + Partners. Initiatives advance model zoning codes, form‑based codes, and transect frameworks adopted in pilot projects in Miami Beach, Houston, and Indianapolis; these efforts intersect with agencies like the Department of Housing and Urban Development and nonprofit partners such as Smart Growth America and Local Initiatives Support Corporation. Educational programs and charrettes collaborate with universities including Yale School of Architecture and University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design, while awards programs recognize work by firms and municipalities including New Urban Guild honorees and international recipients in Mexico City and Tokyo.

The organization produces publications and position papers that have been cited in litigation and policy debates involving transit projects in Atlanta, affordable housing initiatives in San Francisco, and redevelopment plans in Detroit. It runs training on form‑based codes used by municipal staff in Austin, Texas and community workshops that include stakeholders from Neighborhoods USA.

Notable Projects and Case Studies

Influential case studies associated with the organization’s advocacy include the master plan for Seaside, Florida, redevelopment of Pearl District (Portland, Oregon), the planned neighborhood of Kentlands, Maryland, and infill nodes along commuter rail corridors in Boston. Internationally, examples include urban extensions in Dublin and mixed‑use waterfront redevelopment in Rotterdam. Transit‑oriented developments near stations on systems such as Metro (Washington Metro), BART, and Metra illustrate application of principles to increase ridership and reduce car dependency. Projects recognized by awards have involved collaborations with firms like SOM and NBBJ and municipal governments from Chicago to Melbourne.

Organization and Governance

The organization functions as a nonprofit led by a board of directors composed of professionals from firms, academic institutions, and public agencies, reflecting affiliations with entities such as American Planning Association, Congressional Research Service briefings, and philanthropic funders like the Ford Foundation and Kresge Foundation. Leadership roles have been held by practicing architects, planners, and academics with ties to programs at University of California, Los Angeles and Columbia University. Governance includes committees on policy, design review, and education that coordinate with professional certification programs such as those administered by the AIA and accreditation standards debated at the National Architectural Accrediting Board.

Criticism and Controversy

Critiques have come from scholars and activists aligned with movements invoking Jane Jacobs in different ways, housing advocates in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and researchers at institutions like MIT and University of California, Berkeley. Criticisms address concerns about gentrification in neighborhoods such as parts of New Orleans and Brooklyn, alleged aesthetic uniformity compared with vernacular traditions in New England, and debates over market‑rate housing outcomes cited in policy hearings in Sacramento. Legal challenges and public controversies have arisen in specific redevelopment cases involving eminent domain disputes in Portsmouth, Virginia and affordable housing allocations in Seattle, while academic critiques published in journals tied to Princeton University and Yale question assumptions about scalability and socioeconomic equity.

Category:Urban planning organizations