Charter of the New Urbanism: Region/Neighborhood, District, and Corridor/Block, Street, and Building

By the Congress for the New Urbanism McGraw Hill, New York, 1999. Large paperback, 194 pp., $49.95. Contact: 415-495-2255. Every new urbanist should have a copy of the Charter book. Critics should have a copy, too, so that they really know what they are attacking. The Charter book is the most complete and comprehensive statement of the New Urbanism movement. The book is an elaboration and explanation of the 27 principles of the Charter of the New Urbanism. The Charter was created by the Congress for the New Urbanism’s task forces and Board of Directors in 1996, and signed by 262 delegates to the fourth Congress in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1996. Although the Charter has served as a guiding document for the New Urbanism, few people really know what it says, or have thought about what it means, in detail. The Charter book can remedy that. Essays by different authors examine and illustrate every principle of the Charter. Many books have been written on the New Urbanism, but most amount to personal statements by leading new urbanists. The Charter book is different. It is a collective statement of a host of people, 34 authors in all, sponsored by the leading organization promoting new urbanist concepts. Do you want to know the new urbanist position on codes? Read the essay by Bill Lennertz. Do you want a definition of a new urbanist neighborhood? Read Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk’s piece. Of course, not everyone who calls himself or herself a “new urbanist” will agree with everything in the book, but it’s the best collective statement of principle that the new urbanists are likely to make anytime soon. Thus it is an important policy document and reference work. The Charter book is not an easy read. That’s the price for basing a book on a statement of principles written by committee, and then having 34 authors. This is the kind of book that takes time to digest. Readers will get through an essay or two, and then put the book down to pick it up again later. Readers are also likely to to look at all of the illustrations, plans, and photos before getting through all of the text. The Charter book is the most thoroughly illustrated book on the New Urbanism since Peter Katz’ 1994 The New Urbanism: Toward an Architecture of Community.