News flash: High-design pub gets it right

Straightforward articles on New Urbanism in the architectural press have been few and far between — so when one is published this qualifies as a story.

As prominent new urbanist Stefanos Polyzoides points out in an email: "Considering how fierce our criticism has been over mischaracterizations of the New Urbanism by academia and the architectural press, an article in the May/ June 2011 issue of the magazine gb&d, Green Building and Design, provides a very refreshing counter perspective.  And all of this in a glossy no less sleek than Dwell."

The article "Plan for Anything," by Scott Heskes, "argues that most, if not all, of what is happening today that is meaningful and substantive in the world of sustainable planning, is based on the direct influence of the New Urbanism."

Heskes gets rolling with a citation of University of California-Davis professor Stephen Wheeler, who identified in 1998 the essential elements of sustainable urban planning: " ... compact, efficient land use; less automobile use and better access to transportation options; efficient resource use and less pollution and waste; the restoration of natural systems; quality, healthful housing and living environments; a healthy social ecology; sustainable economics; community participation and involvement; and the preservation of local culture and wisdom."

The author, an industry consultant and writer, continues: "Many of the principles for which Wheeler advocates are rooted in the New Urbanism movement that began in the 1980s. The Congress for the New Urbanism, founded in 1993, states in its charter: 'We advocate the restructuring of public policy and development practices to support the following principles: neighborhoods should be diverse in use and population; communities should be designed for the pedestrian and transit as well as the car; cities and towns should be shaped by physically defined and universally accessible public spaces and community institutions; urban places should be framed by architecture and landscape design that celebrate local history, climate, ecology, and building practice.'

"The ideas put forth by the New Urbanism movement and further established by Wheeler's paper became a roadmap for cities, which adopted plans that moved sustainable goals higher up on the list of priorities. By the end of the first decade of the 21st Century — armed with a measuring tool in LEED certification — a juggernaut of local initiatives became commonplace among major cities throughout the United States."

Most of the article is devoted to five noteworthy project types: dense, walkable communities; revitalizing existing neighborhoods; riverfronts and waterways; transit-oriented development; and new cities. "Each category is illustrated by a single project, all five of them strictly modernist in architectural form," notes Polyzoides.

"It is really the first time in twenty years that I have seen such a positive presentation on the reach of New Urbanism ideas, by someone who is clearly not remotely involved with our movement," he concludes.

The article can be read in its entirety by going to the website, and clicking on "digital edition."