Atlanta Congress showcases New Urbanism as prescription for healthy places, econmic renewal

As CNU vice-chair and award-winning urban planner Victor Dover articulated so well at the opening of CNU 17, urbanism alone stands as a potential generator of solutions for multiple critical tests facing our country and its communities. One year later, CNU’s 18th Congress, meeting in Atlanta from May 19-22, will showcase the innovative work new urbanists and their partners are doing to deliver these benefits across economic, environmental, social, and energy- and health-related challenges. Co-organized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is headquartered in Atlanta, CNU 18 New Urbanism: Rx for Healthy Places will be perhaps the most robust union of health professionals and the urban planning and development community ever. Obesity and chronic diseases associated with sedentary and isolated populations is one of those crises, with impacts on families and the healthcare system. The doubling of driving nationally between 1983 and 2007, much of it on auto-centric street systems that are dangerous by design, has increased injury and mortality rates, increased mental health problems for isolated non-drivers, and decreased air and water quality. For urbanists, the cooperation with health officials is strategic. As we show policy makers and the market effective preventive alternatives to an overburdened medical sector, demand for our solutions grows. Besides featuring experts who are pioneering the idea of healthy communities — including the coauthors of the seminal book Urban Sprawl and Public Health, Dr. Richard Jackson, Lawrence Frank and Dr. Howard Frumkin — the Congress will offer opportunities for urbanists to learn how to apply tools such as Health Impact Assessments to demonstrate how walkable mixed-use communities lead to positive health outcomes. Every track at CNU 18 has had liaisons from the Centers for Disease Control working with seasoned CNU members, creating a unique program that reflects the latest research from the CDC. “In addition to an exciting line-up of plenaries and breakout sessions, CNU 18 will debut interactive 3-hour initiative workshops to advance the production of manuals, strategies, resources etc., on affordability, water, transportation, sprawl retrofits, agricultural urbanism, development practices and healthy communities.” Healthy urbanism on two wheels A refrain from the CDC’s Frumkin is that in well-connected urban communities, people can meet their daily activity needs walking to and from transit stops. With cycling events bookending the Congress (and sprinkled throughout), CNU 18 will also show how good urbanism makes regular bike riding safer and more satisfying. After kicking off with Kasim Reed, the new Mayor of Atlanta, Jennifer Hurley and Victor Dover will highlight CNU’s agenda. Then CNU 18 cochair Ellen Dunham-Jones, Scotty Greene of Atlanta’s Buckhead Community Improvement District and Glenwood Park developer and MindSpring founder Charles Brewer will join David Byrne, the musician and author of Bicycle Diaries, to discuss fostering a culture that makes cities more walkable and bikable. Signed copies of the book will be available. This event is open to CNU 18 attendees ahead of the general public so be sure to register early. The two-wheeled urbanism theme will continue by touring Midtown Atlanta by bike Thursday. This and 19 other great tours are outlined online at cnu18.org/tours. Saturday, join Norman Garrick and others to discuss spreading the biking revolution to more American cities. And stick around Sunday for Atlanta Streets Alive! — Atlanta’s first cyclovia taking place from 1-6 pm. Initiative Workshop Sessions Reflecting consistent participant feedback, this year’s program leans less heavily on panel discussions and introduces a new model: initiative workshops. These 3 hour workshops are designed to be interactive and to allow members plenty of time for questions, discussions, debate and advancing new standards. Here’s what you can expect: Affordable Housing and Sustainability: Join Dan Solomon, Ray Gindroz, Atlanta Housing Authority innovator Renee Glover, urban developer and former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros and others crafting a sustainable fusion of design and financing approaches to affordability. Transportation Networks: This group will discuss efforts to incorporate the designs for multi-modal urban thoroughfares into sustainable networks, as featured in a new ITE Networks manual and in a CNU-initiated draft of Network Principles. Researchers from the University of Connecticut will also discuss how connected networks yield remarkable improvements in traffic safety and health. Urban Agriculture: Jim Kunstler, Andres Duany, Elizabeth Moule, Steve Nygren and farmers discuss Serenbe, Prairie Crossing and other pioneering urban agriculture projects to formulate a new urbanist model for integrating farming throughout the Transect. This session runs Friday and Saturday. Health and New Urbanism: This workshop will take the form of a clinic using Atlanta examples to demonstrate “how-tos” for creating “health impact assessments” for communities or projects. Rx for Thirsty and Flood-Prone Cities: Sprawl is exacerbating the mounting water problems facing many regions, including Atlanta. Steve Wise and Jacky Grimshaw of the Center for Neighborhood Technologies, Lisa Niseson and others will lead CNU in getting serious about the remedies urbanism makes possible, outlining CNU water sustainability priorities, a research agenda, and critical partnerships. Sprawl Retrofit: This workshop will feature pecha chucha presentations by Reburbia contest-winner Galina Tahchieva, Retrofitting Suburbia co-author June Williamson and practitioners Bill Tunnell and Bill de St. Aubin delving into the transit-ready Cumberland CID model. Safe Streets: Learn the best in safety and street design with research and lessons from CNU’s Emergency Response and Safe Streets Initiative. Development: This two-part developer-oriented initiative workshop, led by CNU board member Russ Preston, will focus on succeeding across multiple phases in order to create authentic places. Expect breakout discussions between the audience and some of the best developers in the US. Plenaries top a strong lineup Following the kick-off plenary on CNU’s initiative-driven agenda and urban bicycle culture and a health-related main event the next morning with Jackson, Frumkin, and Frank, the full-Congress assemblies continue with a forum on the Sustainable Communities partnership of three key federal departments. Former CNU executive director and HUD official Shelley Poticha, board members Stephanie Bothwell and Mike Krusee, and others will lead a discussion on the expanded opportunities for urbanists. Peter Calthorpe and Megaregions author Catherine Ross will cover coming breakthroughs on statewide policies and planning efforts to coordinate sustainable and healthy transportation and development. And the focus on cutting-edge solutions continues across an impressive set of breakout sessions covering code and policy reform, suburban retrofits, lifelong communities to meet the needs of aging populations and other demographic imperatives, agricultural urbanism and others. The only way to understand just how much value will be packed into four days in Atlanta is to visit cnu18.org/sessionlist and register by April 20th for best rates. Don’t miss New Urbanism: Rx for Healthy Places.