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 slams Atlanta, the location of the conference, saying, "If the Devil created an anti-city, a place where people would feel least human, Atlanta would surely be that place."
Kunstler says that the New Urbanists proposed their solutions before climate change and peak oil were even issues.
He writes, "The great achievement of the New Urbanists was not the projects they built during the final orgasm of the cheap energy orgy. It was the knowledge they retrieved from the dumpster of history. We really do know where to go from here. Whether the people of the USA have the will to take themselves there now is another issue."
FULL STORY: Out of Darkness
Meet CNU's New Executive Director
The Congress for the New Urbanism has announced the hiring of Rick Cole as the its new executive director, filling a role left vacant by the departure of Lynn Richards earlier this year.
CNU Climate Summit Highlights
Growing set of tools measures the impact of urban form on climate. Hazel Borys reviews highlights of the CNU Climate Summit held last weekend near Washington, D.C.
CNU 25 Seattle: Highlights from the Silver Anniversary
A summary of last week's events in Seattle: CNU 25 and ULI, written by Hazel Borys.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
Colorado Bans No-Fault Evictions
In most cases, landlords must provide a just cause for evicting tenants.
Alaska Village Becomes Test Case for Climate Change Relocation
The Yup’ik village of Newtok is the first Alaska community to begin a full-scale relocation necessitated by the impacts of climate change. Another 31 Alaska communities remain vulnerable.
Amtrak Takes Lead on Texas Central Rail
The high-speed rail project isn’t a done deal, but if it moves forward, trains could begin operating in 2030.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
