• CNU launches Charter amendment process

    CNU is launching a formal process to amend the Charter of the New Urbanism, it was announced in an On the Park Bench webinar . The CNU board will accept proposals for amending the Charter in October and November, 2023. Any CNU member can propose an amendment. Amendments will be voted on during the...Read more

  • A model for mall reuse in Portland

    It’s no secret that large numbers of US malls are in deep trouble, having lost anchor tenants, and many of them are in foreclosure. In his 10 th Anniversary edition of Walkable City , Jeff Speck reports that “Fully a quarter of US malls aren’t expected to hang on through 2025.” Some high-volume...Read more

  • Building community from farming, food, and walkable urbanism

    A bold vision of Agricultural Urbanism is now taking shape in British Columbia, 15 years after it was planned at the peak of the Great Recession.
    Agricultural Urbanism (a.k.a. Agrarian Urbanism) grew from a compromise—a grand idea that broke a political impasse. It was first proposed in a new urban plan in 2008 during the Great Recession. An innovative vision put forth at a fragile financial time, when so many projects went by the wayside,...Read more

  • Designing for Lahaina’s future starts with honoring Native Hawaiians

    The aftermath of the Maui wildfires will be an opportunity for Native Hawaiians to shape the future of affordable housing and land use on the island. Respect and support from New Urbanists is required if we want to participate in this design process.
    In the aftermath of the devastating fires in Maui, it is essential to remember the cardinal architectural rule of affordable housing: Do not experiment on the poor. This is also an opportunity to expand upon that ethos to include another rule: Honor Native peoples. The history of architecture and...Read more