CNU Debates Development, Street Design, Regulation

Progress toward drawing up environmental standards for neighborhood design — and thus allying New Urbanism with the increasingly potent “green building” movement — was highlighted during the June annual conference of the Congress for the New Urbanism. The 13th yearly gathering brought 1,200 people to Pasadena, California, for four days of discussions about New Urbanism’s recent advances and the future of community design. Three issues that repeatedly arose were efforts to lay out streets and roads in a more humanistic fashion; relations with conservatives; and connections between New Urbanism and “sustainable” design.