Dear malldoc,
New Urbanism is a civic movement that arose in the late 1980s and
early 1990s among city planners and architects in reaction to the urban
sprawl that came increasingly to define the American cityscape in the
1950s. Its exponents believe that neighorhoods should be made more
livable by returning to the traditional schemes of city planning that
were prevalent before the advent of automobiles, bedroom communities,
and industrial zones.
The principal goals of New Urbanism are social diversity and aesthetic
quality in the development of smaller, human-scale neighborhoods. In
opposition to the current model of economically segregated neighborhoods,
New Urbanism proposes that a range of housing opportunities catering
to every budget be made available within compact towns defined by
public centers and clear borders. Rather than separating commercial
and industrial zones from residential areas, the ideal New Urbanist
neighborhood features a blend of housing and economic activity. The close
proximity of jobs and services increases public mingling and reduces
dependence on automobile travel, which goes hand in hand with the less
traffic-friendly, more walkable street layout.
In general, New Urbanism favors heterogeneous neighborhoods over
dedicated-use city quarters and prefers the small to the large. A
New Urbanist town promotes pedestrian travel and public transport,
so that children may walk or bike to school and the elderly may enjoy
broad mobility without the use of a car. Instead of extending the city
borders by far-ranging development, the New Urbanist ideal is to find
space within the city and to redevelop existing areas. Furthermore, natural
features of the landscape, such as scenic views and native shrubbery,
are to be integrated into the design of public space.
The movement's chief organ is the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU),
which was founded in 1993 and continues to advocate its vision of
human-scale city living through teaching efforts, annual conferences,
and an informative website.
CNU: About New Urbanism
http://www.cnu.org/about/index.cfm
Among the texts promulgated by the CNU is a Charter for the New Urbanism,
which gives a precise definition of its motivations and ambitions on
three different scales of planning: (a) metropolis, city, and town; (b)
neighborhood, district, and corridor; (c) block, street, and building. All
three parts of the Charter are gathered together on the following webpage.
"Charter of the New Urbanism"
http://www.newurbanism.org/pages/532096/index.htm
Another useful document is the essay linked below, which lists 13
attributes of an "authentic neighborhood" according to the tenets of New
Urbanism. The first four of these attributes are as follows.
"1) The neighborhood has a discernible center. This is often a square
or a green and sometimes a busy or memorable street corner. A transit
stop would be located at this center.
"2) Most of the dwellings are within a five-minute walk of the center,
an average of roughly 2,000 feet.
"3) There are a variety of dwelling types usually houses, rowhouses
and apartments so that younger and older people, singles and families,
the poor and the wealthy may find places to live.
"4) At the edge of the neighborhood, there are shops and offices of
sufficiently varied types to supply the weekly needs of a household."
New Urban News: The New Urbanism
http://www.newurbannews.com/AboutNewUrbanism.html
For the opposing perspective, here is a website devoted to criticism of
New Urbanism.
http://www.alexmarshall.org/am_categoryPagesFolder/newUrbanism.htm
If you feel that my answer is incomplete or inaccurate in any way, please
post a clarification request so that I have a chance to meet your needs
before you assign a rating.
Regards,
leapinglizard
Search Queries:
new urbanism
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=new+urbanism
new urbanism philosophy
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=new+urbanism+philosophy
new urbanism principles
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&c2coff=1&q=new+urbanism+principles
new urbanism aesthetic
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=new+urbanism+aesthetic |
,
0 Comments
)