Raymond Hain says the arguments in favor of New Urbanism are often "murky", and design is in the eye of the beholder. but is there a deeper, philosophical foundation for New Urbanism?
Hain, Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Xavier University, writes about the challenges he sees facing New Urbanists.
He writes:
"[W]hile new urbanists are clear about what they want, the philosophical foundations for this way of life are murky, and there is little more justification than controversial environmental and aesthetic benefits and a gesture towards the ideal of 'community.'"
"It looks like all this is only possible if enough people agree on the end, the general shape of human happiness as a whole, and this agreement on what matters most shapes and makes possible all the other integrative activities of our community. But what if we no longer agree on this (and, frankly, this seems exactly the situation we face today)?"
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Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
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Harvard GSD Executive Education
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