CNU Welcomes New Board Members

Washington, DC: The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) has welcomed four new Board members who bring a range of experience to their positions. Their presence further diversifies the knowledge base of a board which already has collective expertise in architecture, planning, urban design, development, demographics, social equity, public engagement, and transportation. (See more about the Board at this link).

“These officers bring so much to the work of CNU,” said Board Chair Eliza Harris Juliano, CNU-A. “The practice of New Urbanism calls for an appreciation and working knowledge of how all the disciplines come together in creating more livable communities. It also takes an understanding of how economics and other dynamics can contribute to or work against making a place more affordable, accessible, and equitable. These individuals, each person and as a group, strengthen that much-needed understanding and vision in our board.”

Susan Henderson, an international expert on form-based codes for communities, is PlaceMakers' Director of Coding and Design. Susan has led numerous form-based code projects throughout North America. As a LEED Accredited Professional, she brings her expertise in sustainability to form-based code writing. She is co-author of the Lean Code Tool, a contributor to the SmartCode & Manual, and author of the SmartCode Landscape Module. Susan has been appointed for a three-year term.

Scot Spencer leads the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s work in advancing community-focused policies, practices, and strategies that increase opportunities for children, families and the places where they live and foster their success. Scot also coordinates Casey’s local advocacy efforts in Baltimore. Before taking on these roles, Spencer managed Casey’s investments in East Baltimore, where the Foundation seeks to strengthen community and economic development in a historic, low-income neighborhood next door to the Johns Hopkins University medical campus. He previously was a transportation specialist at the Environmental Defense Fund, where he focused on state-level smart-growth policy and Commuter Choice, a local tax incentive for people who use transit. He also served as deputy director for Historic East Baltimore Community Action Coalition. There, he led the federal Bridges to Work demonstration, which provided job training and placement services for residents in East and West Baltimore, as well as transportation from their neighborhoods to employment centers in the suburbs. In addition, he worked for several years in private architectural practice, community development and university relations in upstate New York. Spencer serves on a number of local and national boards, including as chairman of Smart Growth America, and as a board member of The Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities and the Orton Family Foundation. He was the founding chair of the Maryland Commission on Environmental Justice and Sustainable Communities and served as co-chair of the Opportunity Collaborative, Baltimore’s regional plan development through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Sustainable Communities Initiative.

Emily Talen, CNU member since 2000, is Professor of Urbanism at the University of Chicago. Her research is devoted to urban design and urbanism, especially the relationship between the built environment and social equity. Her books include: New Urbanism and American Planning, Design for Diversity, Urban Design Reclaimed, and City Rules. She also has several edited volumes – the most recent one is Retrofitting Sprawl: Addressing 70 Years of Failed Urban Form. She is a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners. Emily has been appointed for a three-year term.