New Urbanism

Promoting the principles of New Urbanism will help achieve smart development and economic growth goals.

The most effective way to implement New Urbanism is to plan for it and write it into zoning and development codes. This directs all future development into this form.

New Urbanism promotes the creation and restoration of diverse, walkable, compact, vibrant, mixed-use communities composed of the same components as conventional development but assembled in a more integrated fashion, in the form of complete communities. These contain housing, work places, shops, entertainment, schools, parks and civic facilities essential to the daily lives of the residents all within easy walking distance of each other.

Principles of New Urbanism

Walkability (Most things within a 10-minute walk of home and work; pedestrian friendly street design—buildings close to street; porches, windows and doors; tree-lined streets; on street parking; hidden parking lots; garages in rear; narrow, slow speed streets; in special cases, pedestrian streets free of cars.)
Connectivity (Increased Connectivity tends to Improve Walking and Cycling conditions, particularly where paths provide shortcuts, so walking and cycling are relatively faster than driving. This also supports transit use.)
Mixed-Use and Diversity (A mix of shops, offices, apartments and homes on site. mixed-use within neighborhoods, within blocks and within buildings. Diversity of people- ages, classes, cultures and races.)
Mixed Housing (Create housing opportunities and choices for a range of household types, family size and incomes in close proximity.)
Quality Architecture and Urban Design (Emphasis on beauty, aesthetics, human comfort, and creating a sense of place; Special placement of civic uses and sites within community. Human scale architecture and beautiful surroundings nourish the human spirit.)
'Traditional' Neighborhood Structure (Discernable center and edge; Public space at center; Importance of quality public realm; public open space designed as civic art; contains a range of uses and densities within a 10-minute walk; Transect planning: Highest densities at town center; progressively less dense towards the edge.)
Increased Density (Accomplished through low to mid-rise structures that reflect and respect exisitng zoning and the human scale of the area; there should be appropriate transitions in scale between new and existing structures.)
Smart Transportation (A network of high quality trains connecting cities, towns and neighborhoods together; Pedestrian friendly design that encourages a greater use of bicycles, rollerblades, scooters and walking as daily transportation.)
Sustainability (Minimal environmental impact of development and its operations; Eco friendly technologies, respect for ecology and value of natural systems; Energy efficiency; Less use of finite fuels; More local production.)
Quality of Life (The goal of all these priniciples is to enhance and sustain the quality of life for all of the community.)

Benefits to Residents

Higher quality of life; better places to live, work and play; higher and more stable property values; less driving (proximity to services, proximity to bike trails, parks and nature; more freedom and independence for children, elderly, and the poor in access to jobs, recreation and services without the need for a car and someone to drive them; more diversity and smaller, unique shops and services with local owners who are involved in community; big savings by driving less and owning fewer cars.

Benefits to Businesses

Increased sales due to more foot traffic; better lifestyle by living above shop in live-work units, saves stressful and costly commutes; economies of scale in marketing due to close proximity and cooperation with other local businesses; smaller spaces promote small local business incubation; lower rents due to smaller spaces and smaller parking lots; more community involvement from being part of community and knowing residents.

Benefits to Developers

Greater acceptance by the community and less resistance, resulting in faster approvals, cost/time savings; cost savings in parking facilities in mixed-use properties due to sharing of spaces throughout the day and night, resulting in less duplication in providing parking; less need for parking facilities due to mix of residences and commercial uses within walking distance of each other; faster sell out due to greater acceptance by consumers from a wider product range resulting in wider market share.

Benefits to Municipalities

Stable, appreciating tax base; Less spent per capita on infrastructure and utilities than typical suburban development due to compact, high-density nature of projects; Increased tax base due to density.

"NEW URBANISM is the most important planning movement this century, and is about creating a better future for us all. It is an international movement to reform the design of the built environment, and is about raising our quality of life and standard of living by creating better places to live. New Urbanism is the revival of our lost art of place-making, and is essentially a re-ordering of the built environment into the form of complete cities, towns, villages, and neighborhoods - the way communities have been built for centuries around the world. New Urbanism involves fixing and infilling cities, as well as the creation of compact new towns and villages."

-NewUrbanism.org

*Source: www.NewUrbanism.org

Share your ideas & concerns with Ralph at 612-821-3819 or email rembuz@aol.com