Group forms to promote international New Urbanism, eyes Ukraine
A group has formed to advance an international exchange of ideas that melds the Charter of the New Urbanism with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable). Called Team 11 in reference to the UN’s goal, the name is also a riposte to “Team 10” of the mid-20th Century modernist group CIAM.
This group of committed CNU members believes new urbanists must have global concerns to make a difference in the impeding climate issue. Team 11 is initiated by Dhiru Thadani, Vinayak Bharne, Chris Elisara, Stephen Goldie, Michael Mehaffy, Andrew Gast-Bray, and Garlynn Woodsong.
As a movement with roots in the United States and Europe, New Urbanism has had a significant impact in the cities of the global north, but not in the rest of the world, they claim. “Three decades since its inception, the movement should admit a need to exchange ideas and engage internationally and learn from the numerous ways cities are transforming themselves for the better in South America, Asia, and Africa,” Bharne explained at a well-attended session at CNU 31 in Charlotte. “The CNU Charter is broad and well-intentioned, but we must remember that it was based on a multi-generational study of Western cities,” he added. “We need an international movement if we are going to have a lasting impact,” says Mehaffy. “There is a growing recognition of the need for new urbanists to think more globally and collaborate more with international partners.” The group envisions direct action in different places around the globe.
Following the Team 11 meeting at CNU 31, architecture professor and author Ellen Dunham-Jones called an ad hoc meeting to discuss the possibility of CNU members providing professional assistance to the liberated areas of Ukraine. Dunham-Jones chaired the meeting, attended by at least eighteen CNU members.
The effort was dubbed “Team 11 – Reimagining Ukraine.” Details are being worked out, but the effort could involve a charrette that would solicit the aid of new urbanist volunteers, focusing on a specific pilot area in Ukraine. Potential partners have also been identified.
Team 11 intends to be an independent and self-sufficient organization; the group has shared with CNU leadership. However, the group also requests that CNU support the organization in a few specific ways, including a link on the webpage and keeping the CNU membership informed of activities through CNU communication channels.
