New Urbanist Books

  • Historic arcade houses young professionals
    <strong>Microlofts at The Arcade Providence</strong>&nbsp;<em>Providence, Rhode Island</em>

    Build Great Places / #thisiscnu

  • Southside
    Ten acres that transformed a city #thisiscnu

    Build Great Places / #thisiscnu

  • Crosstown_Concourse_2018_Charter_LooneyRicksKiss
    Crosstown_Concourse_2018_Charter_LooneyRicksKiss
    From former warehouse to "vertical village"
    <strong>Crosstown Concourse</strong>&nbsp; <em>Memphis, Tennessee</em>

    Build Great Places / #thisiscnu

  • A mixed-use center for town and gown
    <strong>Storrs Center</strong> <em>Mansfield, CT</em>

    Build Great Places / #thisiscnu

  • A unique building becomes a hub for historic neighborhoods
    <strong>Ponce City Market</strong> <em>Atlanta, GA</em>

    Build Great Places / #thisiscnu

  • Jazz Market New Orleans Audience Seating
    Jazz Market New Orleans Audience Seating
    Trumpeting a cultural revival
    <strong>Peoples Health New Orleans Jazz Market</strong>&nbsp; <em>New Orleans, Louisiana</em>

    Build Great Places / #thisiscnu

  • From parking lot to urban tour-de-force
    <strong>UCLA Weyburn</strong>&nbsp;<em>Los Angeles, California</em>

    Build Great Places / #thisiscnu

  • Mercado District | Tucson, Arizona
    A timeless place from the ground up. #thisiscnu

    Build Great Places / #thisiscnu

  • Expanding options for a car-oriented suburban area
    <strong>Village of Providence</strong> <em>Huntsville, AL</em>

    Build Great Places / #thisiscnu


Essentials 

In this section are the central, foundational texts of the New Urbanist movement. These are books every urbanist should read at least once.

Charter of the New Urbanism, 2nd Edition

Authors: Congress for the New Urbanism and Emily Talen

Thoroughly updated to cover the latest environmental, economic, and social implications of urban design, Charter of the New Urbanism, Second Edition features insightful writing from 62 authors on each of the Charter's principles. Real-world case studies, plans, and examples are included throughout. 

The Death and Life of Great American Cities

Author: Jane Jacobs

The Lexicon of New Urbanism

Author: Duany Plater-Zyberk and Company

Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream

Authors: Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, and Jeff Speck

 


Suburbs and Retrofit

You can't be a New Urbanist without understanding suburbia. From the historical Suburban Nation, to the aspirational Carfree Cities, these books provide unique perspectives on how cul-de-sacs and strip malls became so dominant in North America, and what can be done about it.

Greyfields into Goldfields: Dead Malls Become Living Neighborhoods

Author: Lee S. Sobel

New Civic Art: Elements of Town Planning

Authors: Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, and Robert Alminana

Asphalt Nation: How the Automobile Took Over America and How We Can Take It Back

Author: Jane Holtz Kay

The New American Urbanism: Re-forming the Suburban Metropolis

Author: John Dutton

The Geography of Nowhere

Author: James Howard Kunstler

Home from Nowhere

Author: James Howard Kunstler

Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design

Author: Charles Montgomery

New Urbanism and American Planning: The Conflict of Cultures

Author: Emily Talen

Solving Sprawl: Models of Smart Growth in Communities Across America

Authors: F. Kaid Benfield, Jutka Terris, and Nancy Vorsanger

Principles of Urban Retail Planning and Development

Author: Robert J. Gibbs

Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream

Authors: Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, and Jeff Speck

Retrofitting Suburbia, Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs

Authors: Ellen Dunham-Jones and June Williamson

Bourgeois Utopias: The Rise and Fall of Suburbia

Author: Robert Fishman

Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States

Author: Kenneth T. Jackson

A Better Place to Live: Reshaping the American Suburb

Author: Philip Langdon

Changing Places: Rebuilding Community in the Age of Sprawl

Authors: Richard Moe and Carter Wilkie

Anonymization: The Global Proliferation of Urban Sprawl

Author: Robert Harding Pittman

The Anglo-American Suburb

Editor: Robert A.M. Stern with John Massengale

Designing Suburban Futures: New Models from Build a Better Burb

Author: June Williamson

Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context-Sensitive Approach

Author: Institute of Transportation Engineers

Traditional Construction Patterns: Design and Detail Rules-of-Thumb

Author: Steve Mouzon with Susan Henderson

Visions for a New American Dream: Process, Principles, and an Ordinance to Plan and Design Small Communities

Author: Anton Clarence Nelessen

A Legal Guide to Urban and Sustainable Development for Planners, Developers, and Architects

Authors: Daniel K. Slone and Doris S. Goldstein with W. Andrew Gowder

Sprawl Repair Manual

Author: Galina Tachieva

The Fractured Metropolis: Improving the New City, Restoring the Old City, Reshaping the Region

Editor: Jonathan Barnett

The Great Inversion and the Future of the American City

Author: Alan Ehrenhalt

Communities by Design: New Urbanism for Suburbs and Small Communities

Authors: Kenneth Hall and Gerald Porterfield

City Center to Regional Mall: Architecture, the Automobile, and Retailing in Los Angeles, 1920-1950

Author: Richard Longstreth

The Drive-In, the Supermarket, and the Transformation of Commercial Space in Los Angeles, 1914-1941

Author: Richard Longstreth


Gentrification and Diversity

One of the most pressing challenges localities around the world currently face is the rising cost of housing in city centers, and the ensuing exodus of lower-income residents into the suburbs. These books will help New Urbanists understand the intricacies of these trends and the ways we can use the tools of smart urban design to address them.

Design for Diversity: Exploring Socially Mixed Neighborhoods

Author: Emily Talen

The Next American Metropolis: Ecology, Community, and the American Dream

Author: Peter Calthorpe

Everyday Urbanism

Authors: John Chase, Margaret Crawford, John Kaliski

Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design

Author: Charles Montgomery

The Wealth of Cities: Revitalizing the Centers of American Life

Author: John Norquist

People Habitat: 25 Ways to Think about Greener, Healthier Cities

Author: Kaid Benfield

The Charrette Handbook, 2nd Edition

Authors: Bill Lennertz and Aarin Lutzenhiser

Courtyard Housing in Los Angeles

Authors: Stefanos Polyzoides, Roger Sherwood, and James Tice

The Great Inversion and the Future of the American City

Author: Alan Ehrenhalt

Communities by Design: New Urbanism for Suburbs and Small Communities

Authors: Kenneth Hall and Gerald Porterfield

There Goes the ‘Hood: Views of Gentrification from the Ground Up

Author: Lance Freeman


Architecture

These are the best books on New Urbanist architecture available, from treatises by New Urbanist forefathers, like Daniel Solomon's Global City Blues and Andrés Duany's Smart Growth Manual, to studies of specific features of New Urbanist architecture like Ray Oldenburg's The Great Good Place.

Global City Blues

Author: Daniel Solomon

Everyday Urbanism

Authors: John Chase, Margaret Crawford, John Kaliski

Space and Anti-Space: The Fabric of Place, City and Architecture

Authors: Barbara Littenberg, Steven Peterson

New Civic Art: Elements of Town Planning

Authors: Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, and Robert Alminana

Urban Design Compendium

Authors: Llewelyn Davies Yeang and Alan Baxter & Associates

The Smart Growth Manual

Authors: Andres Duany, Jeff Speck, and Mike Lydon

Urban Design Compendium

Authors: Llewelyn Davies Yeang and Alan Baxter & Associates

The American Vitruvius: An Architect's Handbook of Urban Design

Authors: Werner Hegemann, Thomas Myers, and Elbert Peets

Architecture: Choice or Fate

Author: Leon Krier

The New Urbanism: Toward an Architecture of Community

Author: Peter Katz

Good City Form

Author: Kevin Lynch

Defensible Space: Crime Prevention through Urban Design

Author: Oscar Newman

The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community

Author: Ray Oldenburg

American Architecture and Urbanism

Author: Vincent Scully

Urban Design Reclaimed: Tools, Techniques, and Strategies for Planners

Author: Emily Talen

The American City

Author: Alexander Garvin

Cities of Tomorrow

Author: Peter Hall

Livable Communities for Aging Populations: Urban Design for Longevity

Author: M. Scott Ball

Responsive Environments: A Manual for Designers

Editor: Ian Bentley

Repairing the American Metropolis: Common Place Revisited

Author: Douglas S. Kelbaugh

Traditional Construction Patterns: Design and Detail Rules-of-Thumb

Author: Steve Mouzon with Susan Henderson

The Language of Towns & Cities: A Visual Dictionary

Author: Dhiru Thadani

Time-Saver Standards for Urban Design

Authors: Donald Watson, Alan Plattus, and Robert Shibley

The Value of Design: And Its Effect on Our Lives and Communities

Author: Marianne Cusato

Courtyard Housing in Los Angeles

Authors: Stefanos Polyzoides, Roger Sherwood, and James Tice

Green Metropolis: The Extraordinary Landscapes of New York City as Nature, History, and Design

Author: Elizabeth Barlow Rogers

The Plazas of New Mexico

Authors: Chris Wilson and Stefanos Polyzoides

How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They’re Built

Author: Stewart Brand

The Elusive City: Five Centuries of Design, Ambition, and Miscalculation

Author: Jonathan Barnett

Architecture of the Everyday

Editors: Steven Harris and Deborah Berke

The City Assembled: The Elements of Urbanism

Author: Spiro Kostof

The Image of the City

Author: Kevin Lynch

Garden Cities: Theory and Practice of Agrarian Urbanism

Authors: Andres Duany and DPZ

Design with Nature

Author: Ian McHarg


Cities

Cities are great centers of prosperity and culture. But they can also be the locations of extreme poverty and blight. These books offer insight into the complex, dynamic nature of cities, and propose solutions to their most pressing challenges.

Changing Places: Rebuilding Community in the Age of Sprawl

Authors: Richard Moe and Carter Wilkie

Global City Blues

Author: Daniel Solomon

Principles of Urban Retail Planning and Development

Author: Robert J. Gibbs

New Urbanism and American Planning: The Conflict of Cultures

Author: Emily Talen

Triumph of the City

Author: Edward Glaeser

The Economy of Cities

Author: Jane Jacobs

The Death and Life of Great American Cities

Author: Jane Jacobs

The Wealth of Cities: Revitalizing the Centers of American Life

Author: John Norquist

People Habitat: 25 Ways to Think about Greener, Healthier Cities

Author: Kaid Benfield

A Tale of Two Cities: The Failed Urban Renewal of Downtown Tucson in the Twentieth Century

Authors: Juan Gomez-Novy and Stefanos Polyzoides

Published by Journal of the Southwest, Vol. 45

The City in Mind: Notes on the Urban Condition

Authors: James Howard Kunstler

Rebuilding

Author: Daniel Solomon

There Goes the ‘Hood: Views of Gentrification from the Ground Up

Author: Lance Freeman


Street Patterns and Design

Streets and other thoroughfares have the capacity to make or break a place. These books explain why smart street planning is essential and equip readers with the know-how to effectuate it in their own projects.

Streetfight: Handbook for an Urban Revolution

Authors: Janette Sadik-Khan and Seth Solomonow

Urban Design Compendium

Authors: Llewelyn Davies Yeang and Alan Baxter & Associates

Walkable City Rules

Authors: Jeff Speck

Form Based Codes: A Guide for Planners, Urban Designers, Municipalities, and Developers

Authors: Daniel G. Parolek AIA, Karen Parolek, Paul C. Crawford FAICP

The American Vitruvius: An Architect's Handbook of Urban Design

Authors: Werner Hegemann, Thomas Myers, and Elbert Peets

The New Urbanism: Toward an Architecture of Community

Author: Peter Katz

Asphalt Nation: How the Automobile Took Over America and How We Can Take It Back

Author: Jane Holtz Kay

Good City Form

Author: Kevin Lynch

Towns and Town-making Principles

Authors: Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and Andres Duany

Street Design: The Secret to Great Cities and Towns

Authors: John Massengale and Victor Dover

Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time

Author: Jeff Speck

City Rules: How Regulations Affect Urban Form

Author: Emily Talen

A Better Place to Live: Reshaping the American Suburb

Author: Philip Langdon

Designing Suburban Futures: New Models from build a Better Burb

Author: June Williamson

Responsive Environments: A Manual for Designers

Editor: Ian Bentley

Building Community Across the Transect: Places Journal 2006

Authors: David Brain et al.

Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context-Sensitive Approach

Author: Institute of Transportation Engineers

Neighborhood Street Design Guidelines: An ITE Recommended Practice

Author: Institute of Transportation Engineers

The City Shaped: Urban Patterns and Meaning Through History

Author: Spiro Kostof

Sprawl Repair Manual

Author: Galina Tachieva

Sustainable Transportation Planning: Tools for Creating Vibrant, Healthy, and Resilient Communities

Author: Jeff Tumlin

The Plazas of New Mexico

Authors: Chris Wilson and Stefanos Polyzoides

The Boulevard Book: History, Evolution, Design of Multiway Boulevards

Authors: Allan B. Jacobs, Elizabeth MacDonald, and Yodan Rofe

Laws of the Landscape: How Policies Shape Cities in Europe and America

Author: Pietro S. Nivola

At Road’s End: Transportation and Land Use Choices for Communities

Authors: Daniel Carlson with Lisa Wormser and Cy Ulberg

Stuck in Traffic: Coping with Peak-Hour Congestion

Author: Anthony Downs

Moving Beyond Gridlock: Traffic and Development

Author: Robert T. Dunphy


Zoning

The most important shaper of the built environment is the zoning code, which dictates what sorts of buildings can be built where. These books explain how zoning works, the effects it's had in the past, and how New Urbanists can shape it for the better in the future.

New Urbanism: Michigan Debates on Urbanism II

Authors: Peter Calthorpe, George Baird, Robert Fishman, Doug Kelbaugh, and Lars Lerup

Codifying New Urbanism

Author: Congress for the New Urbanism

Form Based Codes: A Guide for Planners, Urban Designers, Municipalities, and Developers

Authors: Daniel G. Parolek AIA, Karen Parolek, Paul C. Crawford FAICP

The American Vitruvius: An Architect's Handbook of Urban Design

Authors: Werner Hegemann, Thomas Myers, and Elbert Peets

Good City Form

Author: Kevin Lynch

Defensible Space: Crime Prevention through Urban Design

Author: Oscar Newman

The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community

Author: Ray Oldenburg

Towns and Town-making Principles

Authors: Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and Andres Duany

New Urbanism and American Planning: The Conflict of Cultures

Author: Emily Talen

Design for Diversity: Exploring Socially Mixed Neighborhoods

Author: Emily Talen

Urban Design Reclaimed: Tools, Techniques, and Strategies for Planners

Author: Emily Talen

The Urban Design Handbook: Techniques and Working Methods

Author: Urban Design Associates

Place Making: Developing Town Centers, Main Streets, and Urban Villages

Author: Charles Bohl

Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time

Author: Jeff Speck

City Rules: How Regulations Affect Urban Form

Author: Emily Talen

Retrofitting Suburbia, Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs

Authors: Ellen Dunham-Jones and June Williamson

Designing Suburban Futures: New Models from Build a Better Burb

Author: June Williamson

Livable Communities for Aging Populations: Urban Design for Longevity

Author: M. Scott Ball

Journal of Urban Design, Special Issue: The Transect

Authors: Andres Duany, Emily Talen et al.

The City Shaped: Urban Patterns and Meaning Through History

Author: Spiro Kostof

Traditional Construction Patterns: Design and Detail Rules-of-Thumb

Author: Steve Mouzon with Susan Henderson

Visions for a New American Dream: Process, Principles, and an Ordinance to Plan and Design Small Communities

Author: Anton Clarence Nelessen

A Legal Guide to Urban and Sustainable Development for Planners, Developers, and Architects

Authors: Daniel K. Slone and Doris S. Goldstein with W. Andrew Gowder

Sprawl Repair Manual

Author: Galina Tachieva

Sustainable Transportation Planning: Tools for Creating Vibrant, Healthy, and Resilient Communities

Author: Jeff Tumlin

Town Planning in Practice

Author: Raymond Unwin

Time-Saver Standards for Urban Design

Authors: Donald Watson, Alan Plattus, and Robert Shibley

Collage City

Author: Colin Rowe and Fred Koetter

The Elusive City: Five Centuries of Design, Ambition, and Miscalculation

Author: Jonathan Barnett

Communities by Design: New Urbanism for Suburbs and Small Communities

Authors: Kenneth Hall and Gerald Porterfield

City Center to Regional Mall: Architecture, the Automobile, and Retailing in Los Angeles, 1920-1950

Author: Richard Longstreth

The New Exploration: A Philosophy of Regional Planning

Author: Benton MacKaye

Laws of the Landscape: How Policies Shape Cities in Europe and America

Author: Pietro S. Nivola

The Rise of the Community Builders: The American Real Estate Industry and Urban Land Planning

Author: Marc A. Weiss

Planning for a New Century: The Regional Agenda

Editor: Jonathan Barnett


Transportation

One of the most important aspects of New Urbanism is the promotion of modes of transportation other than the car that are both more environmentally-friendly and more conducive to healthy, vibrant communities. These books grapple with the question of why North American cities are so much more car-dependent than cities in other regions, and explore alternatives to the status quo.

Streetfight: Handbook for an Urban Revolution

Authors: Janette Sadik-Khan and Seth Solomonow

Transit Villages in the 21st Century

Author: Michael Bernick

New Urbanism: Michigan Debates on Urbanism II

Authors: Peter Calthorpe, George Baird, Robert Fishman, Doug Kelbaugh, and Lars Lerup

Asphalt Nation: How the Automobile Took Over America and How We Can Take It Back

Author: Jane Holtz Kay

Good City Form

Author: Kevin Lynch

Towns and Town-making Principles

Authors: Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and Andres Duany

Urban Design Reclaimed: Tools, Techniques, and Strategies for Planners

Author: Emily Talen

The Urban Design Handbook: Techniques and Working Methods

Author: Urban Design Associates

Place Making: Developing Town Centers, Main Streets, and Urban Villages

Author: Charles Bohl

Carfree Cities

Author: J.H. Crawford

The Economy of Cities

Author: Jane Jacobs

Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time

Author: Jeff Speck

Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context-Sensitive Approach

Author: Institute of Transportation Engineers

Neighborhood Street Design Guidelines: An ITE Recommended Practice

Author: Institute of Transportation Engineers

Sustainable Transportation Planning: Tools for Creating Vibrant, Healthy, and Resilient Communities

Author: Jeff Tumlin

Civilizing Downtown Highways: Putting New Urbanism to Work on California’s Highways

Authors: Sarah Pulleyblank and CNU Staff

Planning for a New Century: The Regional Agenda

Editor: Jonathan Barnett

The Boulevard Book: History, Evolution, Design of Multiway Boulevards

Authors: Allan B. Jacobs, Elizabeth MacDonald, and Yodan Rofe

At Road’s End: Transportation and Land Use Choices for Communities

Authors: Daniel Carlson with Lisa Wormser and Cy Ulberg

Stuck in Traffic: Coping with Peak-Hour Congestion

Author: Anthony Downs

Moving Beyond Gridlock: Traffic and Development

Author: Robert T. Dunphy


History

These books are for the history buffs among us, who want to understand how we arrived at the place we're at today.

Neighborhood

Author: Emily Talen

Architecture: Choice or Fate

Author: Leon Krier

Asphalt Nation: How the Automobile Took Over America and How We Can Take It Back

Author: Jane Holtz Kay

Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design

Author: Charles Montgomery

Design of Cities

Author: Edmund Bacon

Triumph of the City

Author: Edward Glaeser

The Economy of Cities

Author: Jane Jacobs

The Death and Life of Great American Cities

Author: Jane Jacobs

Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream

Authors: Andres Duany ,Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, and Jeff Speck

Bourgeois Utopias: The Rise and Fall of Suburbia

Author: Robert Fishman

Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States

Author: Kenneth T. Jackson

Los Angeles: Building the Polycentric Region

Editors: Alan Loomis and Gloria Ohland

A Tale of Two Cities: The Failed Urban Renewal of Downtown Tucson in the Twentieth Century

Authors: Juan Gomez-Novy and Stefanos Polyzoides

Published by Journal of the Southwest, Vol. 45

City: Urbanism and its End

Author: Douglas W. Rae

The Fractured Metropolis: Improving the New City, Restoring the Old City, Reshaping the Region

Editor: Jonathan Barnett

The Elusive City: Five Centuries of Design, Ambition, and Miscalculation

Author: Jonathan Barnett

Sidewalks in the Kingdom: New Urbanism and the Christian Faith

Author: Eric O. Jacobsen

City Center to Regional Mall: Architecture, the Automobile, and Retailing in Los Angeles, 1920-1950

Author: Richard Longstreth

The Drive-In, the Supermarket, and the Transformation of Commercial Space in Los Angeles, 1914-1941

Author: Richard Longstreth

The City in History: Its Origins, Its Transformations, and Its Prospects

Author: Lewis Mumford

The Making of Urban America

Author: John W. Reps

The Culture of Nature: North American Landscapes from Disney to the Exxon Valdez

Author: Alexander Wilson


Sociology and Human Behavior

These books delve into the ways the built environment affects how we feel and how we interact with others. From explorations of how cities can make us happier to discussions of how we can design neighborhoods in ways that reduce crime, these books are essential for understanding why New Urbanism has such a powerful effect on the quality of life of those who reap its benefits.

Main Street: How a City's Heart Connects Us

Author: Mindy Thompson Fullilove

The New Urbanism: Toward an Architecture of Community

Author: Peter Katz

Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design

Author: Charles Montgomery

Defensible Space: Crime Prevention through Urban Design

Author: Oscar Newman

The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community

Author: Ray Oldenburg

Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time

Author: Jeff Speck

City: Rediscovering the City

Author: William Whyte

Urbanism Without Effort

Author: Charles Wolfe

People Habitat: 25 Ways to Think about Greener, Healthier Cities

Author: Kaid Benfield

Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature

Editor: William Cronon

Landscape Urbanism and its Discontents: Dissimulating the Sustainable City

Editors: Andres Duany and Emily Talen

The Original Green: Unlocking the Mystery of True Sustainability

Author: Steve Mouzon

A Better Place to Live: Reshaping the American Suburb

Author: Philip Langdon

Livable Communities for Aging Populations: Urban Design for Longevity

Author: M. Scott Ball

The Value of Design: And Its Effect on Our Lives and Communities

Author: Marianne Cusato

Sidewalks in the Kingdom: New Urbanism and the Christian Faith

Author: Eric O. Jacobsen

Communities by Design: New Urbanism for Suburbs and Small Communities

Authors: Kenneth Hall and Gerald Porterfield

Garden Cities: Theory and Practice of Agrarian Urbanism

Authors: Andres Duany and DPZ


For Planners

These are books that cater to professionals and detail exactly how one goes about bringing a New Urbanist development into existence.

Missing Middle Housing: Thinking Big and Building Small to Respond to Today’s Housing Crisis

Authors: Daniel Parolek

New Urbanism: Best Practices Guide, Fourth Edition

Authors: Robert Steuteville, Philip Langdon

Codifying New Urbanism

Author: Congress for the New Urbanism

The Smart Growth Manual

Authors: Andres Duany, Jeff Speck, and Mike Lydon

Principles of Urban Retail Planning and Development

Author: Robert J. Gibbs

Defensible Space: Crime Prevention through Urban Design

Author: Oscar Newman

The Urban Design Handbook: Techniques and Working Methods

Author: Urban Design Associates

Place Making: Developing Town Centers, Main Streets, and Urban Villages

Author: Charles Bohl

Street Design: The Secret to Great Cities and Towns

Authors: John Massengale and Victor Dover

Streets and the Shaping of Towns and Cities

Authors: Michael Southworth and Ben-Joseph Eran

City Rules: How Regulations Affect Urban Form

Author: Emily Talen

Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design with Nature

Author: Douglas Farr

Designing Suburban Futures: New Models from build a Better Burb

Author: June Williamson

Responsive Environments: A Manual for Designers

Editor: Ian Bentley

Building Community Across the Transect: Places Journal 2006

Authors: David Brain et al.

Journal of Urban Design, Special Issue: The Transect

Authors: Andres Duany, Emily Talen et al.

The Lexicon of New Urbanism

Author: Duany Plater-Zyberk and Company

Neighborhood Street Design Guidelines: An ITE Recommended Practice

Author: Institute of Transportation Engineers

Repairing the American Metropolis: Common Place Revisited

Author: Douglas S. Kelbaugh

Traditional Construction Patterns: Design and Detail Rules-of-Thumb

Author: Steve Mouzon with Susan Henderson

Visions for a New American Dream: Process, Principles, and an Ordinance to Plan and Design Small Communities

Author: Anton Clarence Nelessen

A Legal Guide to Urban and Sustainable Development for Planners, Developers, and Architects

Authors: Daniel K. Slone and Doris S. Goldstein with W. Andrew Gowder

Sprawl Repair Manual

Author: Galina Tachieva

Town Planning in Practice

Author: Raymond Unwin

Communities by Design: New Urbanism for Suburbs and Small Communities

Authors: Kenneth Hall and Gerald Porterfield

Laws of the Landscape: How Policies Shape Cities in Europe and America

Author: Pietro S. Nivola


For Community Leaders

Streetfight: Handbook for an Urban Revolution

Authors: Janette Sadik-Khan and Seth Solomonow

Learning from Bryant Park: Revitalizing Cities, Towns, and Public Spaces

Author: Andrew M. Manshel

DIY City: The Collective Power of Small Actions

Author: Hank Dittmar

The Regional City

Authors: Peter Calthorpe and William Fulton

Defensible Space: Crime Prevention through Urban Design

Author: Oscar Newman

City Rules: How Regulations Affect Urban Form

Author: Emily Talen

Changing Places: Rebuilding Community in the Age of Sprawl

Authors: Richard Moe and Carter Wilkie

Visions for a New American Dream: Process, Principles, and an Ordinance to Plan and Design Small Communities

Author: Anton Clarence Nelessen

A Legal Guide to Urban and Sustainable Development for Planners, Developers, and Architects

Authors: Daniel K. Slone and Doris S. Goldstein with W. Andrew Gowder

The New Urbanism: Comprehensive Report and Best Practices Guide, Fourth Edition

Authors: Robert Steuteville and Philip Langdon

Laws of the Landscape: How Policies Shape Cities in Europe and America

Author: Pietro S. Nivola

At Road’s End: Transportation and Land Use Choices for Communities

Authors: Daniel Carlson with Lisa Wormser and Cy Ulberg


Environment

A fascinating and crucial dialogue exists between the New Urbanist movement and environmentalism. These books explore how both movements can learn from each other, and the ways in which environmentalist values have been expressed in existing New Urbanist projects.

Understanding the New American Dream: The Challenges and Benefits of New Urbanism

Author: Garret Biss

The Next American Metropolis: Ecology, Community, and the American Dream

Author: Peter Calthorpe

The Smart Growth Manual

Authors: Andres Duany, Jeff Speck, and Mike Lydon

Systems of Survival: A Dialogue on the Moral Foundations of Commerce and Politics

Author: Jane Jacobs

Dark Age Ahead

Author: Jane Jacobs

Triumph of the City

Author: Edward Glaeser

The Wealth of Cities: Revitalizing the Centers of American Life

Author: John Norquist

People Habitat: 25 Ways to Think about Greener, Healthier Cities

Author: Kaid Benfield

Urbanism in the Age of Climate Change

Author: Peter Calthorpe

Sustainable and Resilient Communities: A Comprehensive Action Plan for Towns, Cities, and Regions

Author: Stephen J. Coyle

Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature

Editor: William Cronon

The Original Green: Unlocking the Mystery of True Sustainability

Author: Steve Mouzon

Landscape Urbanism and its Discontents: Dissimulating the Sustainable City

Editors: Andres Duany and Emily Talen

Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design with Nature

Author: Douglas Farr

Sustainable Communities

Authors: Sim Van Der Ryn and Peter Calthorpe

Green Metropolis: The Extraordinary Landscapes of New York City as Nature, History, and Design

Author: Elizabeth Barlow Rogers

Trees in Urban Design

Author: Henry F. Arnold

Garden Cities: Theory and Practice of Agrarian Urbanism

Authors: Andres Duany and DPZ

Design with Nature

Author: Ian McHarg


Regionalism

One of the core tenets of New Urbanism is the belief in regional planning. These books explore that ideology further.

Prairie Urbanism

Author: Zachary Borders

The Next American Metropolis: Ecology, Community, and the American Dream

Author: Peter Calthorpe

The Regional City

Authors: Peter Calthorpe and William Fulton

Urbanism in the Age of Climate Change

Author: Peter Calthorpe

Sustainable and Resilient Communities: A Comprehensive Action Plan for Towns, Cities, and Regions

Author: Stephen J. Coyle

Los Angeles: Building the Polycentric Region

Editors: Alan Loomis and Gloria Ohland

The Fractured Metropolis: Improving the New City, Restoring the Old City, Reshaping the Region

Editor: Jonathan Barnett

Planning for a New Century: The Regional Agenda

Editor: Jonathan Barnett


Small Towns

When we hear the word "urbanism", we often think of big cities teeming with millions of residents. But New Urbanist principles are not limited to large metropolitan areas. These books explore how communities of all sizes can benefit from increasing walkability and related characteristics.

Above and Beyond: Visualizing Change in Small Towns and Rural Areas

Authors: Julie Campoli, Elizabeth Humstone, and Alex MacLean

The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community

Author: Ray Oldenburg

Towns and Town-making Principles

Authors: Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and Andres Duany

Street Design: The Secret to Great Cities and Towns

Authors: John Massengale and Victor Dover

The New Urbanism: Toward an Architecture of Community

Author: Peter Katz

Place Making: Developing Town Centers, Main Streets, and Urban Villages

Author: Charles Bohl

Transit Villages in the 21st Century

Author: Michael Bernick

The Original Green: Unlocking the Mystery of True Sustainability

Author: Steve Mouzon

Systems of Survival: A Dialogue on the Moral Foundations of Commerce and Politics

Author: Jane Jacobs

Dark Age Ahead

Author: Jane Jacobs

The Language of Towns & Cities: A Visual Dictionary

Author: Dhiru Thadani

Town Planning in Practice

Author: Raymond Unwin

Communities by Design: New Urbanism for Suburbs and Small Communities

Authors: Kenneth Hall and Gerald Porterfield

Laws of the Landscape: How Policies Shape Cities in Europe and America

Author: Pietro S. Nivola

Design with Nature

Author: Ian McHarg

At Road’s End: Transportation and Land Use Choices for Communities

Authors: Daniel Carlson with Lisa Wormser and Cy Ulberg


Case Studies

For those interested in taking a deep dive into the implementation of New Urbanist policies in a specific place, perhaps to see how things get done or just enjoy the story of transforming a community for the better, these books provide meticulous examinations of the New Urbanist movement as it has manifested from New York City to rural Florida.

Global City Blues

Author: Daniel Solomon

Streetfight: Handbook for an Urban Revolution

Authors: Janette Sadik-Khan and Seth Solomonow

Transit Villages in the 21st Century

Author: Michael Bernick

Prairie Urbanism

Author: Zachary Borders

Design for Diversity: Exploring Socially Mixed Neighborhoods

Author: Emily Talen

The Death and Life of Great American Cities

Author: Jane Jacobs

City: Rediscovering the City

Author: William Whyte

Sustainable Communities

Authors: Sim Van Der Ryn and Peter Calthorpe

Designing Sustainable Communities: Learning from Village Homes

Authors: Judy Corbett and Michael Corbett

Los Angeles: Building the Polycentric Region

Editors: Alan Loomis and Gloria Ohland

Emergent Urbanism: Evolution in Urban Form, Texas

Authors: Sinclair Black and Frederick Steiner

A Tale of Two Cities: The Failed Urban Renewal of Downtown Tucson in the Twentieth Century

Authors: Juan Gomez-Novy and Stefanos Polyzoides

Published by Journal of the Southwest, Vol. 45

Seaside: Making a Town in America

Authors: David Mohney and Keller Easterling

Courtyard Housing in Los Angeles

Authors: Stefanos Polyzoides, Roger Sherwood, and James Tice

Visions of Seaside: Foundation/Evolution/Imagination. Built and Unbuilt Architecture

Author: Dhiru Thadani

The Plazas of New Mexico

Authors: Chris Wilson and Stefanos Polyzoides

The Seaside Debates: A Critique of the New Urbanism

Editor: Todd Bressi

City Center to Regional Mall: Architecture, the Automobile, and Retailing in Los Angeles, 1920-1950

Author: Richard Longstreth

The Drive-In, the Supermarket, and the Transformation of Commercial Space in Los Angeles, 1914-1941

Author: Richard Longstreth


Compendia

These are books that serve as collections of New Urbanist projects defined by a certain characteristic, from being in Florida to incorporating art in an innovative way. Like the Congress for the New Urbanism's Charter Awards booklets, these make for great coffee table books but also can serve as a source of education and inspiration for the committed urbanist.

A Guidebook to New Urbanism in Florida

Editor: Jean Scott

Transit Villages in the 21st Century

Author: Michael Bernick

New Civic Art: Elements of Town Planning

Authors: Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, and Robert Alminana

Urban Design Compendium

Authors: Llewelyn Davies Yeang and Alan Baxter & Associates

Design of Cities

Author: Edmund Bacon

The American City

Author: Alexander Garvin

Street Design: The Secret to Great Cities and Towns

Authors: John Massengale and Victor Dover

Solving Sprawl: Models of Smart Growth in Communities Across America

Authors: F. Kaid Benfield, Jutka Terris, and Nancy Vorsanger

Above and Beyond: Visualizing Change in Small Towns and Rural Areas

Authors: Julie Campoli, Elizabeth Humstone, and Alex MacLean

The City Shaped: Urban Patterns and Meaning Through History

Author: Spiro Kostof

The Language of Towns & Cities: A Visual Dictionary

Author: Dhiru Thadani

Town Planning in Practice

Author: Raymond Unwin

The Plazas of New Mexico

Authors: Chris Wilson and Stefanos Polyzoides

The Culture of Nature: North American Landscapes from Disney to the Exxon Valdez

Author: Alexander Wilson

Trees in Urban Design

Author: Henry F. Arnold