Walkability, But Hold the Red Tape

Robert Steuteville explores Andres Duany's "stirring plenary session" at the recent Congress for the New Urbanism in Salt Lake City, Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company's recent work in High Point, North Carolina, and other efforts to adapt the SmartCode.

"Three crises of the new century -- the dearth of capital, the slow-motion calamity of climate change, and the ongoing high costs of petroleum -- have changed the prospects of the next generation of urbanists, [Andres Duany] says."

"Town centers will be built successionally, starting with single-story buildings. High-tech environmentalism will fail and low-tech 'original green' sustainability will flourish. Flex buildings designed to change uses and interim buildings that fill needs while waiting for a permanent replacements will be key, he says. Tactical Urbanism, the next generation’s mantra, is all about retrofitting streets and public spaces with grass roots energy and limited resources."

"Finally, Duany touted 'code pink,' or a highly simplified new urban code. Other code experts are developing similar 'pocket codes,' or 'minicodes' that boil form-based standards down to bare essentials that are easy to understand and facilitate quicker, cheaper, more pain-free approvals."