New Urbanism: An Introduction
New Urbanism is the most important planning
movement this century, and is about creating a better future for us
all. It is an international movement to reform the design of the built
environment, and is about raising our quality of life and standard of
living by creating better places to live. New Urbanism is the revival
of our lost art of place-making, and is essentially a re-ordering of
the built environment into the form of complete cities, towns,
villages, and neighborhoods - the way communities have been built for
centuries around the world. New Urbanism involves fixing and infilling
cities, as well as the creation of compact new towns and villages.
New Urbanism promotes the creation and restoration of diverse,
walkable, compact, vibrant, mixed-use communities composed of the same
components as conventional development, but assembled in a more
integrated fashion, in the form of complete communities. These contain
housing, work places, shops, entertainment, schools, parks, and civic
facilities essential to the daily lives of the residents, all within
easy walking distance of each other. New Urbanism promotes the
increased use of trains and light rail, instead of more highways and
roads. Urban living is rapidly becoming the new hip and modern way to
live for people of all ages. Currently, there are over 500 New Urbanist
projects planned or under construction in the United States alone, half
of which are in historic urban centers.
The principles of New Urbanism can be applied increasingly to projects at the full range of scales from a single building to an entire community.
1. Walkability
Most things within a 10-minute walk of home and work-Pedestrian
friendly street design (buildings close to street; porches, windows
& doors; tree-lined streets; on street parking; hidden parking
lots; garages in rear lane; narrow, slow speed streets) -Pedestrian
streets free of cars in special cases
2. Connectivity
Interconnected street grid network disperses traffic & eases
walking-A hierarchy of narrow streets, boulevards, and alleys-High
quality pedestrian network and public realm makes walking pleasurable
3. Mixed-Use & Diversity
A mix of shops, offices, apartments, and homes on site. Mixed-use
within neighborhoods, within blocks, and within buildings-Diversity of
people - of ages, classes, cultures, and races
4. Mixed Housing
A range of types, sizes and prices in closer proximity
5. Quality Architecture & Urban Design
Emphasis on beauty, aesthetics, human comfort, and creating a sense
of place; Special placement of civic uses and sites within community.
Human scale architecture & beautiful surroundings nourish the human
spirit
6. Traditional Neighborhood Structure
Discernable center and edge-Public space at center-Importance of
quality public realm; public open space designed as civic art-Contains
a range of uses and densities within 10-minute walk-Transect planning:
Highest densities at town center; progressively less dense towards the
edge. The transect is an analytical system that conceptualizes mutually
reinforcing elements, creating a series of specific natural habitats
and/or urban lifestyle settings. The Transect integrates environmental
methodology for habitat assessment with zoning methodology for
community design. The professional boundary between the natural and
man-made disappears, enabling environmentalists to asses the design of
the human habitat and the urbanists to support the viability of nature.
This urban-to-rural transect hierarchy has appropriate building and
street types for each area along the continuum.
7. Increased Density
More buildings, residences, shops, and services closer together for
ease of walking, to enable a more efficient use of services and
resources, and to create a more convenient, enjoyable place to
live.-New Urbanism design principles are applied at the full range of
densities from small towns, to large cities
8. Smart Transportation
A network of high-quality trains connecting cities, towns, and
neighborhoods together-Pedestrian-friendly design that encourages a
greater use of bicycles, rollerblades, scooters, and walking as daily
transportation
9. Sustainability
Minimal environmental impact of development and its
operations-Eco-friendly technologies, respect for ecology and value of
natural systems-Energy efficiency-Less use of finite fuels-More local
production-More walking, less driving
10. Quality of Life
Taken together these add up to a high quality of life well worth
living, and create places that enrich, uplift, and inspire the human
spirit.