John Handley looks at the popularity of New Urbanism over the past two decades and asks whether traditional neighborhood design will continue to flourish in the 21st century, as the housing market rebounds.
Handley survey's the early successes of new urbanism, including Seaside and the more than 600 projects nationwide that have been influenced by its principles, and the recent slowdown in such projects as the economy ground to a halt.
Despite the recent dry spell, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk is confident in the movement's staying power: "The new urbanism product has maintained its value, and going forward there will absolutely be a resurgence. New urbanism is still a model for the future. It's exactly what the boomers want."
While John McIlwain, senior fellow for housing at the Urban Land Institute, agrees with the premise that new urbanism will continue to influence new housing development, he sees a shift in its product types and characteristic design features, as the market moves towards more dense development.
"Going forward, there will be changes in new urbanism, and it will continue to be part of master-planned communities. Some core elements will remain, but characteristics like front porches may become marginal," McIlwain said. "Expect future new urbanism projects to include more rental, high-rises and open spaces, but fewer single-family homes."
FULL STORY: New urbanism: Old-fashioned design in for long run
The Health of Cities Depends on Place-Based Development More than Big Projects
Cities take a physical form that either supports or is stressful to people outside of a moving vehicle or building. Witold Rybczynski, in his critique of New Urbanism, forgets that lesson.
Book Review: Visions of Seaside
A new anthology tells the story of Seaside like we've never heard it before–on its own terms.
The Unbuilt Origins of Seaside
Seaside, Florida is well known as the proving grounds for new urbanism, the place where Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk made a development into a town. Dhiru Thadani documents the early experiments and unbuilt designs in a new book.
Seattle Legalizes Co-Living
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Central Florida’s SunRail Plans Major Expansion
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NYC Officials Announce Broadway Pedestrianization Project
Two blocks of the marquee street will become mostly car-free public spaces.
Santa Monica Lowers Speed Limits
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For Some, Co-Housing Offers Social and Economic Benefits
Residents of co-living developments say the built-in community helps ease the growing isolation felt by many Americans.
New Map Puts Bay Area Traffic Data in One Place
The Traffic Monitoring site uses community-collected speed and volume data to reveal traffic patterns on local roads.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Caltrans
Los Alamos County
American Planning Association, Sustainable Communities Division
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Cambridge, Maryland
Newport County Development Council: Connect Greater Newport
Rockdale County Board of Commissioners