New Urbanists set Smart Growth agenda

Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) members made an impressive showing at the Second Annual Partners for Smart Growth Conference, which took place December 15 through 17, 1998, in Austin, Texas. More than 850 developers, public officials, and activists attended the conference cosponsored by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Of the program’s 65 speakers, more than half were members of CNU. Austin’s Mayor Kirk Watson, ULI Board Chairman Jim Chaffin, EPA Administrator Carol Browner, and New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman kicked off the conference. All stated their commitment to compact, environmentally responsible development coupled with open space preservation. Ms. Browner eloquently connected the EPA’s Smart Growth efforts to her own experiences as a working mother who commutes by transit, shops in neighborhood stores and lives in a community where people know one another. Gov. Whitman began her speech by reminding the audience about the importance of NASA’s Space Program in the ’60s and its role in transforming the attitudes of an entire generation of Americans. She called on the audience to think about the Smart Growth movement in similar terms. framing the issues A second plenary session, “Why Smart Growth Matters,” involved a panel made up almost entirely of CNU members. The session was moderated by Chris Leinberger of Robert Charles Lesser & Company and included Robert Liberty of 1000 Friends of Oregon, Reid Ewing with LDR International, Ed Thompson of the American Farmland Trust, Ron Young of the Maryland Office of Planning, Ken Kramer of Sierra Club Austin, and Robert Shaw of the newly formed Amicus Partners Inc. This session gave CNU members an opportunity to frame the issues that should be addressed by the Smart Growth movement. Other key sessions involved active CNU members such as Gianni Longo of the American Communities Partnership, who spoke about strategies for working with citizen groups, and Todd Zimmerman of Zimmerman/Volk Associates, who addressed the financing and marketability of new urbanist developments. CNU Board Member Peter Calthorpe of Calthorpe Associates and Hank Dittmar of the Surface Transportation Policy Project discussed how integrated land use and transportation policies should be essential ingredients of the Smart Growth movement. Richard Heapes of Cooper Carey and Shelley Poticha, CNU executive director, led a session on new urbanist design issues. Activists Ellen Keyes of the Georgia Conservancy and Keith Schneider of the Michigan Land Institute spoke about how to engage local leaders and build relationships with the media. CNU members Michael Medick of Looney Ricks Kiss Architects, Robert Freedman of Urban Design Associates, and Michael Pyatok of Pyatok & Associates staged a panel on affordable infill housing. Stephanie Bothwell represented the AIA’s Center for Livable Communities. A significant number of new urbanist developers were also involved in the program, including Rick Holt of Holt & Haugh, Art Lomenick of Post Properties (and CNU Board Member), Jonathan Rose of the Affordable Housing Development Corp., John Richman of Starwood Urban Investments, and Will Fleissig of Continuum Partners. Smart Growth showing progress The Smart Growth movement is growing rapidly. Twenty-two states have adopted some form of legislation that attempts to balance land development patterns, public infrastructure investments, and conservation programs. Many more local initiatives are underway. Developers are showing an interest through the leadership of the ULI. The conference demonstrated that, to a large extent, new urbanists are both setting the agenda and providing the substance of Smart Growth. u