New Urbanism

New Urbanism
Name	New Urbanism
Established	1980s
Focus	Urban design, urban planning, architecture

New Urbanism is a movement in urban design and planning that advocates for walkable neighborhoods, mixed-use development, and transit-oriented communities. Proponents draw on precedents from Christopher Alexander, Jane Jacobs, Lewis Mumford, Ebenezer Howard and Le Corbusier critics while engaging organizations such as the Congress for the New Urbanism, American Planning Association, Urban Land Institute, National Trust for Historic Preservation and Department of Transportation (United States). The movement interacts with policy instruments like the Zoning, Smart Growth, Transit-oriented development, New Jersey redevelopment initiatives and programs from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.

History and Origins

Early influences included pattern language ideas by Christopher Alexander, urban critiques by Jane Jacobs, garden city proposals by Ebenezer Howard, and regional planning by Lewis Mumford. In the 1970s and 1980s practitioners from firms such as Andrés Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk's Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company, Peter Calthorpe, Robert Stern, Philip Johnson's circles, and institutions like Yale School of Architecture, Harvard Graduate School of Design, MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning and Princeton University debated responses to suburban sprawl, the Interstate Highway System, and postwar suburbanization documented in works like The Death and Life of Great American Cities and The Image of the City. The formalization of principles occurred through meetings of the Congress for the New Urbanism in the 1990s, influences from initiatives such as Project for Public Spaces, policy work by Smart Growth America, and conferences involving American Institute of Architects, National Association of Home Builders, Federal Highway Administration and municipal governments including Miami and Portland, Oregon.

Principles and Design Elements

Design tenets emphasize walkable streets, mixed uses, and human-scaled architecture drawing on precedents like Seaside, Florida, Portland's Pearl District, historic centers in Boston, Charleston, South Carolina, Barcelona, Paris and London. Core elements reference transit integration with light rail, bus rapid transit, streetcar systems and policies connected to New Jersey Transit or Metropolitan Transportation Authority networks. Architectural guidance often invokes the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, Robert A.M. Stern, Michael Graves, Aldo Rossi and regional vernaculars as seen in projects by Tampa developers, Orenco Station planners, and redevelopment of districts like The Pearl District (Portland, Oregon). Public space design borrows from plaza traditions in Madrid, Plaza Mayor, Salamanca examples, and waterfront redevelopment in Baltimore and Liverpool while regulatory tools include form-based codes, inclusionary zoning measures used in San Francisco and New York City, and conservation practices promoted by National Park Service guidance.

Urban Planning and Policy Implementation

Implementation has involved municipal governments such as Miami-Dade County, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Atlanta and Denver adopting ordinances, redevelopment plans, and transit investments like Los Angeles Metro and Sound Transit. Financing mechanisms intersect with programs from Community Development Block Grant, private-public partnerships including projects backed by firms like Hines Interests Limited Partnership, The Related Companies, and institutional investors such as Goldman Sachs. Legal frameworks reference litigation in courts like United States Court of Appeals, state-level planning statutes in California, Florida, New Jersey and federal infrastructure funding from the Federal Transit Administration. Community organizations including Local Initiatives Support Corporation and advocacy groups such as Transportation for America and Rails-to-Trails Conservancy have shaped local approvals, while universities like University of California, Berkeley and University of Pennsylvania contribute research on impacts.

Notable Projects and Case Studies

Prominent built examples include Seaside, Florida, Celebration, Florida, Orenco Station, Stapleton (Denver), the Pearl District (Portland, Oregon), Kentlands, Maryland, Prairie Crossing (Illinois), Reston, Virginia extensions, and redevelopment in Fort Collins, Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina. International case studies include Vauban (Freiburg), Hammarby Sjöstad, Bairro Alto regeneration in Lisbon, and transit-oriented corridors in Copenhagen and Zurich. Design teams often comprised members from Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company, Calthorpe Associates, Robert A.M. Stern Architects, Ellerbe Becket and local firms collaborating with agencies like Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Criticism and Controversies

Critiques arise from scholars and practitioners at institutions like University of California, Los Angeles, Cornell University, University of Texas at Austin and commentators including Kunstler, who argue about issues of authenticity, exclusion, and affordability. Debates reference gentrification patterns observed in Portland, Seattle, San Francisco and New York City, legal challenges under statutes in California Environmental Quality Act litigation, and tensions with suburban stakeholders represented by National Association of Realtors and Home Builders Association. Critics point to fiscal analyses from Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, equity research at Brookings Institution, and environmental assessments by Environmental Protection Agency that question scalability, carbon outcomes, and socioeconomic impacts. Controversies also involve aesthetic disputes tied to architects like Robert Moses-era projects and preservation battles involving National Trust for Historic Preservation and local historic commissions.

Influence and Legacy

The movement influenced contemporary policy debates at United Nations Environment Programme, World Bank, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and national planning agencies in United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and Germany. Elements of the approach persist in form-based codes adopted in Miami, transit-oriented development promoted by Transport for London, and smart growth programs championed by Smart Growth America and Congress for the New Urbanism. Academic programs at Harvard Graduate School of Design, Yale School of Architecture, Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation and Massachusetts Institute of Technology continue researching outcomes in housing, transport, and public health, while legacy debates shape future work in resilience planning for cities like New York City, Los Angeles and Boston.

Category:Urban planning