I'm at the 18th Congress for the New Urbanism, always a stimulating affair and this year is no exception. We're in Atlanta, Georgia, although I've unfortunately not seen much of the city beyond a few leafy, upscale blocks past the anonymous section of downtown. Right now, I'm waiting for a session on "The Great American Grid" to begin, undoubtedly a topic of some interest to our readers considering the comments inspired by Fanis Grammenos' dismissal of America's grid worship.
CNU
Urban Lifestyle Preference On The Rise
Using the 15-year-old transformation of Rockville, MD's mall-centered downtown to a mixed-use town square as an example, the real estate industry sees the suburban-to-urban lifestyle change spreading across much of the country.
Reuters via ABC News/Money
Bronx Freeway Fight Takes National Stage
The local environmental justice movement to remove a short, recently renovated Bronx expressway has taken on national prominence. On July 13, NY DOT is expected to release three options that may decide its future, including one to remove it.
The New York Times - N.Y. / Region
Video: Time to Urbanize Suburbia
The Washington Post's Ezra Klein suggests readers watch this 20-minute TED video featuring Georgia Tech's Ellen Dunham Jones, author of "Retrofitting Suburbia." Jones talks to the importance of making suburbs greener by retrofitting to urbanize them.
Washington Post: Ezra Klein
New Urbanism, Cheap Money, and the Road Ahead
James Howard Kunstler uses his time at the Congress for the New Urbanism to reflect on the road the New Urbanists have taken, the opposition they've faced, and the bubble financing that made it all possible.
Kunstler.com
HUD Announces $3 Billion for "Location-Efficient" Projects
At this week's Congress for the New Urbanism, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan would score new grant applications on transportation access and residential density.
Fast Company
Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares
That's the title of a new report from CNU and the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) that attempts to right the wrongs of the car-centric street design of the past 75 years.
Streetsblog
From Policy to Implementation, CNU Transportation Summit Examines "The Greatest Place"
Mike Lydon reports from the CNU Transportation Summit in Portland, Oregon, the country's laboratory of smart growth. "Change is imminent," says Congressman Earl Blumenauer via video.
LEED-ND Is Go
LEED for Neighborhood Design (LEED-ND) is approved to become a permanent certification program.
New Urban News
DC Goes NU
New Urban News looks at the growing influence of New Urbanists and their ideas in Washington, from the appointment of former CNU director Shelley Poticha to a HUD position to the new Livable Communities Act proposed by Sen. Christopher Dodd.
New Urban News
LEED-ND: Yay or Nay?
After five years of preparation and testing, members of the US Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Congress for the New Urbanism will begin balloting in late July on whether to authorize a full-fledged LEED-Neighborhood Development program.
New Urban News
Is New Urbanism Conservative-Friendly?
A conservative Christian reporter attended the Congress for New Urbanism this year, and found that many New Urbanists support strategies that don't fit neatly into Democratic or Republican platforms.
WORLD Magazine
Riding the Rails to CNU
A contingent of California New Urbanists arranged a special trip on Amtrak's California Zephyr in two vintage railcars to the Congress for New Urbanism in Denver. High-level discussion ensued.
The Infrastructurist
CNU Comes To Denver
In preparation for CNU 17 in Denver, the hometown paper published three op-eds on the importance of new urbanism, how it is changing development throughout the country, Denver's stellar role in it, and examples of it being put to use in the region.
The Denver Post
DOT and HUD, Together Again
DOT and HUD announce a joint effort to merge land use and planning to improve livability. CNU's John Norquist comments on the merger.
New Urban News
Stimulus to Nowhere?
John Norquist, President and CEO of the Congress for the New Urbanism, believes that President Obama should reconsider committing stimulus funds to decades-old freeway expansion projects and take transportation policy in a new direction.
CNU to Focus on Networks
Mike Lydon of Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company reports on the recent Transport Summit in Charlotte, NC, where presentations ranged from discussions of 'context-sensitive' road design to crafting the 2009 federal transportation bill.
New Urbanism at 15
New Urbanism as a movement is fifteen years old this year; a state by state analysis by New Urban News shows steady growth (in some places more than others) and produced some surprises as well.
New Urban News
Cities Should Be Like Pizza
Keeping land uses separate is like keeping the ingredients of pizza separate, according to Congress for New Urbanism President John Norquist. The result is an urban pie that doesn't taste as good as it could.
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer






















