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.