Register for CNU XIV now to save and experience more of the Congress

In a year when new urbanists are bringing historic plans and real optimism to the hurricane-hit Gulf Coast, the fourteenth annual Congress for the New Urbanism will feature four days focused on getting great plans implemented wherever they’re proposed. This year, the Congress comes to the Providence, Rhode Island from June 1-4. The program for CNU XIV will produce all kinds of opportunities for you – whether you’re an architect, planner, developer, scholar, plan commissioner, or other official — to learn from other professionals, advance your career, and ultimately cooperate to create more top-quality New Urbanism in urban cores, outlying villages, and everywhere in between. Every week, more and more of the Congress program – speakers, sessions, workshops, and special in-depth councils – is available online at www.cnuxiv.org and the best way to ensure that you’ll experience it all is to log-on now and register early. Registering by May 4 saves you $75 off regular Congress registration (with great savings off of rates for students, international members, and group members, too). And registering online saves you an additional $10. With so much of New England close by — and CNU XIV making the most of its setting in Providence’s resurgent downtown — you’ll want to consider applying your early registration savings to a tour or special event. Many of the events take place in the intimately scaled streets and captivating public spaces of Providence. The Thursday opening reception takes advantage of WaterPlace Park on Providence’s newly rediscovered riverfront and Friday evening is the city’s famed WaterFire, where fire, river, music, and art come together to create a powerful community experience. Admission to both events is free, while the festive Saturday night party is a great value at $30. From a headquarters on a pre-development infill site, it features dancing under the stars, live music, movies in the alleys, roving street performers, and delicacies from local restaurants and street vendors. The Charter Awards luncheon on Friday takes advantage of the big stage and projection system at the Trinity Repertory Company’s landmark Lederer Theater Center to show off the work that this year’s jurors found deserving of the highest honor of the new era of placemaking. Another great value at $25 for early registrants, your ticket includes admission to a special postluncheon exhibit and gallery talk with award winners. With so much celebrated urbanism within easy reach of Providence, CNU XIV’s tours are another not-to-be-missed opportunity. Conducted by knowledgeable guides, the tours explore everything from the rebirth of downtown Providence — or Downcity, as it’s called locally — to Newport, revitalized Rhode Island mill towns, and organic farms and farmers markets woven into the city fabric. Boston is just an hour away and is the site of great tours of the reviving Fenway neighborhood, the Big Dig, and historic neighborhoods around the city. For those willing to venture a bit further up the coast, tours are planned of Mashpee Commons on Cape Cod, one of the earliest mixed-use new urbanist town centers, and the island of Nantucket, where the snug, shingled form of the colonial New England whaling town continues to draw legions of fans. Space on tours and at some events is limited, so it’s smart to reserve your spot soon — and definitely by May 4.