The New Urbanism certainly has strong implications for

The New Urbanism certainly has strong implications for planners, architects, traffic engineers, developers and the entire real estate industry. But its political ramifications are relatively unexplored. That may change, according to a column in the November issue of George magazine, the oh-so-trendy publication founded by John F. Kennedy Jr. Author Naomi Wolf contends that American citizens, particular baby boomers, have a deep-rooted longing for interconnected neighborhoods of the type promoted by New Urbanism. Her evidence is that television shows and movies usually are set in older walkable towns — the kind that are illegal to build today in most places. “The unbuildable traditional village is currently appearing on-screen as America’s vulnerable love interest,” Wolf says. Citing disaster movies such as Outbreak, Phenomenon and Dante’s Peak, she contends that “the beloved community is never the Wal-Mart-and-subdivision wasteland of real voters’ lonely, overcommitted lives.” Wolf adds that “No one can work up a good goddamn about whether the lava is going to get the Wal-Mart.” The upshot of Wolf’s argument: there’s tremendous political opportunity in New Urbanism, whether it is promoted by Republicans or Democrats, local or national politicians. “The leader who gives boomers back the landscape of their childhood will be seen across the country as a local hero. In this era of alienated electorate, what politician can afford to pass that up?”