True urbanists

Research demonstrates that new urbanists are focusing substantial attention on “infill” planning and development. Most media coverage of the New Urbanism focuses on new towns like Seaside, Celebration, Kentlands, Harbor Town, and Northwest Landing, all of which are located on greenfield sites. That has lead to some accusations that new urbanists are paying less attention to revitalization of cities than the reconfiguration of suburbs. New Urban News’ research demonstrates that new urbanists are doing a substantial amount of infill design and development — especially in comparison with the rest of the real estate industry. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 95 percent of new development is on greenfield locations. New UrbanNews identified 156 new urbanist (NU) infill projects around the U.S. (see table on pages 8-12), 87 of which are built or under construction, and the rest in planning. The number of infill projects on the list approximately equals the number of current NU greenfield projects. New Urban News publishes an annual list of traditional neighborhood developments (TNDs) — larger NU projects that incorporate one or more complete neighborhoods. The last time that list was published (September/October 1998), New Urban News identified 201 TNDs, about three quarters of which are on greenfield sites (the TND and infill lists overlap somewhat). The greenfield projects tend to be significantly larger, but infill is usually denser. (One recently designed infill development, Liberty Harbor North, includes as many dwelling units on 80 acres as the 5,000-acre Celebration, one of the largest TNDs). The infill list is as comprehensive as time and space permitted, and includes the work of most designers and developers who are doing substantial work within the New Urbanism. A complete list of all U.S. infill projects using NU design is not feasible, however, because the New Urbanism can take place on a very small scale. Not every inner city construction project can be examined, and therefore some good ones have undoubtedly been overlooked, which is why the list includes the word “selected” in its title. The list also does not include any projects smaller than 0.5 acres. What is new urbanist infill? An infill site is usually located within a historic city or town, ideally connected to an existing grid pattern of streets. Alternatively, infill can be located on previously developed land in suburbs, surrounded by existing development. An example of the latter would be a “brownfield” site, formerly industrial, or a “grayfield” site, previously serving as shopping mall, apartment complex or similar use. (Some even consider previously undeveloped sites in the suburbs, surrounded by existing development, as infill, but New Urban News drew the line and chose not to include such projects.) But just because a project is located on an urban site does not mean that it is NU. Modern infill development tends to include suburban or anti-urban design elements, e.g. shopping centers with parking in front and gates and walls around single-use residential communities. Buildings in NU infill projects are designed to forthrightly face the public realm and contribute to a pedestrian-scale streetscape. The space between the buildings is as carefully designed as the buildings themselves. Street and block networks are interconnected. New urbanists work with infill development in a “catalytic and synergistic” way, explains Elizabeth Moule, an architect and founder of the Congress for the New Urbanism. “A good example of this approach is that instead of putting two houses next to each other, (new urbanists) would place them across the street from one another,” says Moule. “The street is defined, the street landscape is designed along with sidewalks to establish a physical space to occupy as a pedestrian and, lo and behold, you have created a part of a neighborhood.” The synergy can be found in the quality of the public realm, which is designed to lure people out to walk and on to front porches, creating eyes on the street, reducing crime and further enhancing the public realm. The connection between houses and retail both supports the retail and creates an amenity for the residents, and gives people another reason to walk. In terms of design, NU infill projects are very similar to their greenfield counterparts. A 7-acre project like Village Wiestoria in Bend, Oregon, creates public spaces and streetscapes very similar to those in, say, Kentlands or Celebration, two large TNDs. Post Properties’ Uptown Neighborhood in Dallas has a similar feel in some respects to the company’s Addison Circle, a greenfield project. Even projects that look completely different — like 18-acre Crawford Square near downtown Pittsburgh and Civano, an 820-acre TND, are designed with common planning principles. Small infill projects range from a portion of one block (less than an acre), to five or six blocks in size. Larger infill projects create one or more new neighborhoods. A third category consists of plans for urban neighborhoods where the urban fabric is deteriorated, but not entirely destroyed. In such cases, the New Urbanism fills gaps in the old urbanism, and often new streets and public spaces are created to enhance and revitalize the public realm. Public and private projects The public sector, particularly the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), is investing heavily in NU infill development through its Hope VI and Homeownership Zone programs. All over the U.S., failed modernist public housing projects are being torn down and replaced with more human-scale buildings on traditional street and block networks. The public sector is blazing a trail for private investment to follow. That is already happening. About half of the projects on the list (77) are being built by private developers — either alone or in partnership with public agencies. In a larger sense, a nationwide trend shows development coming back to historic cities and towns. A recent survey by the Brookings Institution and the Fannie Mae Foundation of 24 downtowns in major cities shows all of these areas gaining population. The National Association of Home Builders in February entered a partnership with HUD and the U.S. Conference of Mayors to build a million new homes during the next 10 years in cities across the U.S. In some ways, infill locations are the ideal places to practice NU design. On greenfield sites, new urbanists must create an urban pattern from scratch, and their projects often become “islands” of urbanism. In cities and towns, New Urbanism can connect to the old, strengthening both. And unlike modern subdivisions and shopping centers that are tailored for building efficiently on undeveloped land, NU projects, with their interconnected street networks, mix of uses and pedestrian scale, are well suited for infill sites.