New Urbanism at 30 and its Impact on America

"The Atlantic: How has the country--the national zeitgeist--changed since your first New Urbanist projects?

Andres Duany: When I first started practicing, there were no NIMBYs. I remember that developers were categorically admired--the people who brought us the housing and the offices and the shops that we needed. They brought us wealth. They brought us welcome neighborhoods. They pulled us away from a provincial poverty of all kinds. Everybody wanted to grow--growth had a really good name.

And of course, that's been reversed now, and people are suspicious of growth. What happened is that there was a betrayal of the vision of what suburbia was going to be like. And in fact it did not deliver the open space and the freedom to drive around and the nature that was promised. All of that was betrayed. The anger is extraordinary."

Duany also touches on the recent growth of "green" building, and bemoans the emphasis many builders and developers place on achieving green certifications.