Changing the Grid

New urbanism—with its diverse neighborhoods, narrow, tree-lined streets, and residents who walk to stores, interact with their neighbors, and watch the world go by from their front porches—is a concept that most people find hard to fault.Sometimes referred to as neotraditional planning, new urbanism emerged in the late 1980s in response to disillusionment with the low-density, single-use zoning of housing developments, office parks, and shopping complexes that characterized post–World War II suburban development. The orderly, peaceful suburbs that once offered escape from the crime and congestion of big cities have given rise to their own set of social, economic, and environmental problems, chief among them increased traffic congestion, pollution, and a disturbing sense of sameness and isolation that has people yearning for more engaging, community-minded environments.

Thanks to Urban Land Magazine