• The Charter, exactly 25 years later

    A quarter century ago, the Charter of the New Urbanism laid out timeless principles that are the bedrock of an influential movement.
    Tuesday, May 4, unremarked by anyone in any media as far as I know, a significant anniversary for urbanism passed. Exactly 25 years before, on a sunny, warm, spring day in 1996 in Charleston, South Carolina, the Charter of the New Urbanism was signed. I was in the hall when participants of CNU IV...Read more
  • A photograph of Rick Cole. Credit: City of Santa Monica

    CNU welcomes Rick Cole as new executive director

    Over the past seven years, Lynn Richards has led CNU staff on a journey of growth – moving the organization from Chicago to Washington, DC; growing our annual Congress into the largest (and most inclusive) national placemaking event; and stewarding the development of a strategic plan that will...Read more

  • CNU takes me back to the 1990s

    The opening of registration for CNU 29.Design for Change got me thinking about past Congresses, especially in the light of the $150 fee available for members through March 7. While tracking exact Congress fees from the early years is elusive, the rate is the lowest at least since the 1990s (in 2001...Read more

  • The Princeton roots of New Urbanism

    The New Urbanism grew out of an open-minded educational environment, where students were encouraged to read and think for themselves rather than follow a particular design approach.
    An interesting piece in the Princeton Alumni Weekly outlines educational roots of New Urbanism founders and early leaders, and it turns out that Princeton University played a significant role. Four of the six architectural founders (Peter Katz, a nonarchitect who was the first Executive Director of...Read more