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.

1 minute read

April 28, 2014, 12:00 PM PDT

By newurban


Witold Rybczynski, architect and author, delivered a blunt assessment of the New Urbanism last week.

To start with, I don't think the New Urbanism movement needs defending. A major goal of New Urbanism has been the revitalization of cities. Rybczynski offers a long list of ways that cities have succeeded in the last two decades and argues that new urbanists have failed because they can’t take any of the credit. I can live with that kind of failure.

I take issue, however, with a list of important ideas that have affected America’s cities that is focused only on big architectural projects and demographic and social trends. Where, on Rybczynski's list, are streets, and placemaking, place-based development, and the human scale?

Rybczynski is under the impression that New Urbanism is mostly about big projects like Seaside or Kentlands. Instead, this movement set its sights on something bigger than individual projects — bigger even than cities themselves. The goal was and is the reform of the government-sponsored land-use development and planning system — including the streets, the zoning, the way transportation is connected to land use.

Monday, April 28, 2014 in Better! Cities & Towns

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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