New Urbanists, Perplexed, Respond To Mr. Carson

"Reports of our death are greatly exaggerated." Architects, planners and consulting professionals forcefully respond to recent claims of New Urbanism's extinction.

1 minute read

January 6, 2003, 6:00 AM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen


Over 70 prominent members New Urbanism's professional community respond to a recent essay by a Mr. Richard Carson, who argues that New Urbanism is dead. "We were informed that we had died, while we were under the delusion that we were up and about, building and renovating communities all over the US and the world... Now we are in a quieter but much broader and more important stage, with hundreds of new and infill projects across the globe, and a new generation of zoning codes and standards taking root. Today we're doing the hard work of implementing, or re-implementing, timeless place making principles in a modern age: mixed use, complexity, diversity, and all the other alternatives to the failed principles of dysfunctional postwar sprawl."

Thanks to The Practice Of New Urbanism

Monday, January 6, 2003 in Planetizen

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

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 18, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of Shirley Chisholm Village four-story housing development with person biking in front.

San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning

SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.

June 8, 2025 - Fast Company

Woman and young girl looking at subway map, woman pointing.

Can We Please Give Communities the Design They Deserve?

Often an afterthought, graphic design impacts everything from how we navigate a city to how we feel about it. One designer argues: the people deserve better.

June 9, 2025 - John Pobojewski

Map of EV charging ports in rural U.S. communities.

The EV “Charging Divide” Plaguing Rural America

With “the deck stacked” against rural areas, will the great electric American road trip ever be a reality?

June 20 - The Daily Yonder

Google street view of Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn with pedestrians crossing a crosswalk and cyclist in the bike lane.

Judge Halts Brooklyn Bike Lane Removal

Lawyers must prove the city was not acting “arbitrarily, capriciously, and illegally” in ordering the hasty removal.

June 20 - StreetsBlog NYC

Close-up of cracked and damaged two-lane roadway with double yellow stripes on a bright sunny day.

Engineers Gave America's Roads an Almost Failing Grade — Why Aren't We Fixing Them?

With over a trillion dollars spent on roads that are still falling apart, advocates propose a new “fix it first” framework.

June 19 - Transportation for America