Experiments in New Urbanism: Planning or Fantasy?

Oregon is experimenting with a new urban village in Orenco. Right now it's just a field of grass with a railway station. Is this planning, or fantasy?

1 minute read

July 9, 2000, 11:30 AM PDT

By Laura Kraft


Alan Ehrenhalt, executive editor of Governing magazine and author of "The Lost City" writes a New York times Op-Ed that Orenco is actually the latest in a string of closely watched New Urbanist experiments. In the 1980's, there was Seaside, the small Victorian re-creation on the north Florida Gulf Coast. In the late 1990's, there was Celebration, the Disney-backed traditional town built from scratch near Orlando. All told, there have been several dozen efforts in various parts of the country to establish or retrofit communities in a traditional direction, with walkable streets, downtown shopping, front porches and the numerous other accoutrements of New Urbanist values and ideas.

Thanks to Laura Krafft

Sunday, July 9, 2000 in The New York Times

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