CNU XV brought the world's experts in enhancing walkable, sustainable mixed-use development to Philadelphia to explore strategies for enhancing the character and function of communities. The media recognized the potential of this conference to leave a lasting mark on growth and development in the mid-Atlantic and beyond.
Read media coverage of CNU XV:
Urbanism congress focuses on Francisville
By Earni Young
Philadelphia Daily News
April 6, 2007
From the article: "I RECENTLY caught up with John Norquist, former mayor of Milwaukee and president and CEO of the Congress for the New Urbanism, as he was pounding the pavement in Francisville. Norquist was on the hunt for local venues to set up mini-neighborhood planning sessions during CNU's 15th annual international conference here, May 17 to 20.
The conference is expected to draw 1,800 to 2,000 planners, architects, developers and government officials. More than 100 of these New Urbanist devotees will spend an entire day, May 16, brainstorming about how to make our tiny Francisville a better place to live, work and play....
Although small, Francisville is home to four commercial corridors, which run along Broad Street and Ridge, Fairmount and Girard avenues. All were decimated by the 1960s race riots from which many fire- and vandal-ravaged businesses never recovered.
But things are looking up. The real-estate boom, coupled with the city's focus on neighborhood cleanup, has brought new residents to Francisville in the last 10 years. The neighborhood has a chance of becoming the city's next hot spot, which makes it an ideal testing ground for new urbanism ideals.
Making the new feel older again New Urbanists turning to Collingswood
By Edward Colimore
Philadelphia Inquirer
February 13, 2007
From the article: Now, a group of architects, planners, developers and public officials, hopes to reverse the exodus by recapturing the best of the past and giving it a modern twist....
The participants are members of the New Jersey Chapter of the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), a national organization promoting the redevelopment of urban neighborhoods as an alternative to sprawl. The group will hold a larger annual conference from May 17 to 20 in Philadelphia and will offer tours of Collingswood and Haddonfield, venerable towns that combine smart growth and New Urbanism principles.
By Earni Young
Philadelphia Daily News
Jan. 29, 2007 From the article: Prince Charles is a vigorous supporter of the Congress for the New Urbanism's principles of smart growth and sustainable communities. In 1993, he used those principles to build the village of Poundbury on his duchy in Wales. Dittmar is chairman of the Chicago-based CNU, which is holding its 15th annual international conference in Philadelphia May 17-20. New urbanism promotes back to the future ideology
By Athena D. Merritt, Staff Writer
Philadelphia Business Journal
June 3, 2005 From the article: Where long-abandoned malls stretch across obsolete property, a growing movement sees opportunity for retail and homes to coexist. Within the landscape of areas like Philadelphia's Chestnut Hill, the movement sees a beauty and common sense that current zoning laws prevent from being replicated most everywhere else. In the alleys and rowhouses buried in past traditions, those who embrace this movement, called new urbanism, see the country's future. In 2007, Philadelphia will play host to these ideas when it welcomes the annual conference of the Congress for New Urbanism. The conference will serve as a place to not only showcase the city's efforts but to learn from other areas driven by new urbanism.