Congress covers New Urbanism basics

The Congress for the New Urbanism prefaced its ninth annual congress with a daylong series of lectures and discussions by luminaries in the new urbanist (NU) movement. “New Urbanism 101” was designed to give an overview of NU history and principles to first-time attendees. Daniel Solomon of Solomon E.T.C. Architects & Urban Design discussed the origins of the New Urbanism. He described the “architecture of erasure” that was supposed to fix the overcrowded slums of American Post-World War II cities, explaining that whole neighborhoods and the original survey lines of American cities were wiped out by well-meaning reformers. What was rebuilt was cheap, efficient, sanitary, and rational, but inhospitable, Solomon said. Jacky Grimshaw of the Center for Neighborhood Technology detailed the effects of poor urban design on people’s lives. She stated that current city planning fostered dependence on automobiles, causing obesity, respiratory problems, and social isolation. She pointed to the ugliness of cities overwhelmed by concrete highways, the blight left behind by suburban flight, and the loss of farmland to development. The New Urbanism on the other hand, provides choices for people, especially poor people, Grimshaw said. It brings public transit to those who are unable to drive or afford an automobile, giving them mobility; and it offers a diversity of housing styles, sizes, costs, and locations, ensuring that the rich and poor alike have equal access to good schools and job opportunities. Andres Duany of Duany Plater-Zyberk & Co. maintained that the basic problem with conventional suburban development (CSD) is not its density, location, or the design of its houses — the problem is that it is developed by specialists, whereas authentic city design requires the work of generalists. While all the essential elements of good urbanism eventually develop in the suburbs, “It is as if a chef has all the ingredients for a gourmet dinner, but instead of combining and cooking them to create a satisfying meal, he just serves them to the customers sequentially and raw.” Duany said. Shelley Poticha, executive director of CNU, provided an overview of the organization’s history and work, while author and consultant Peter Katz addressed the issues of zoning and coding in urban planning and presented a slide show that demonstrated many of the concepts and problems that had been discussed in the morning lectures. The seminar ended with a panel discussion and an open-mike session for members of the audience to ask questions and make comments.