What is #NUFuture?

#NUFuture is an intentional, ground-up effort to identify and articulate an overarching goal for the New Urbanist movement for the next 10-20 years to help us accelerate and fully realize the vision of the Charter. 

This effort is consistent with the ongoing self-renewal of strong mission-driven organizations and movements, as they understand how changing contexts require adaptation. Our task now is to set the stage to improve.

This is a unique moment in time in our generation: a call for action as governments at all levels, as well as private and nonprofit institutions, re-orient themselves to more locally based solutions. We need to seize the opportunity in front of us to accelerate the New Urbanist agenda.

New challenges and new opportunities require us to review and refine our thinking and our strategies. Join us in this effort. Learn more from our article on Public Square.

How will we achieve this task?

Determining our movement’s next overarching goal is not something the CEO, the National Board, or even the Founders can do. It needs to be something that is organic and that engages—and resonates with—as many members as possible.

How should we assert who we are and what we do? That’s what we want from this effort. The overarching goal should have several characteristics:

• It activates the positive frame, e.g., articulating a vision of what we will achieve.
• It provides a vision of an outcome that encompasses a vast majority of New Urbanist values.
• It does not overweight a particular subject or solution, e.g., climate change, suburban retrofit, etc. Rather, they are embedded in the articulated vision.
• It is motivational, inspiring, easy to remember, and helps provide direction for the movement.
• It is inclusive, e.g., many groups within CNU and like-minded organizations who share similar values, see their work as part of achieving this larger goal.
• Finally, and most importantly, it is grounded in the Charter and will seek to fully realize its promise.

Take Action

CNU staff, National Board, and all of our advisors on this effort are inviting all people and groups to not only send in their ideas but to engage with their friends, colleagues, and co-conspirators. Hold your own retreats, working sessions, conference calls, walking meetings, beer gatherings, and charrettes on what you think the movement’s next goal could be and what you think are the points of maximum leverage for the movement.

Our members, both current and past, have always been the strength of the movement and organization. Working together with our allies, partners, and new voices we can achieve tremendous progress in the next several decades.

Join us. Give your voice and ideas to this effort. And help take the New Urbanist movement to new heights and greater impact.

Send us your responses by February 15th, 2019.

Share your #NUFuture Ideas here

Or Tweet/Facebook post your responses using #NUFuture