New Urbanism – Putting the Community Back into the Neighborhood

At last, you might not have to move away from shopping and business districts to live in safe, clean neighborhoods near reputable public schools. A new trend is emerging in community design, most widely known as ‘new urbanism.’ Through this movement, community planners, home builders and architects are designing self-contained, mixed-use communities that encourage less driving, more walking and interaction between neighbors. They are trying to capture the sense of community inherent in the neighborhoods of our past.

New urbanite developers offer prospective homebuyers an alternative. They create small, dense communities as opposed to ones with spacious lots and large homes. In one neighborhood, they incorporate different sized single-family homes, town homes and apartments, allowing residents of varying income levels to live side-by-side.

New urbanites’ lawns are smaller. Some new urbanism planners even eliminate front lawns, but they compensate for the loss by incorporating easily accessible public squares, parks and greens into the communities.

Many homes in a new urbanism designed neighborhood have large front porches. New urbanism planners believe that if people use their front porches as a living space, they will be more likely to strike up casual conversations with neighbors walking past their homes.

The streets in new urbanism designed communities are narrow to enforce slow speed limits. They are also adorned with wide sidewalks and interconnect residential areas with parks, schools, shopping areas, and places of employment so residents can do more walking and less driving.

The new urbanism movement encompasses both the development of new communities and the revitalization of older neighborhoods. Some new urbanism planners design contemporary communities that are functional and people-oriented, and others infiltrate existing neighborhoods with buildings that provide convenient services and allow residents to conduct their daily activities within the community.

To work, a ‘new urbanite’ neighborhood must include a well-planned village layout, tasteful architecture and, most importantly, a commitment by its inhabitants to establish a sense of community. Residents can sit on their porches and chat with neighbors who pass by on foot. They can walk to the store and shop in the neighborhood when possible to support community businesses. And they use the ‘common spaces’ such as parks, which provide opportunity for social interaction. New urbanism is a matter of substance, not style.

The movement also works to replace zoning regulations with development guidelines that allow developers to build houses, apartments and offices in the same neighborhood. Since World War II, ‘single-use’ zoning codes have prevented the development of new urbanite communities. But recently, some municipalities have adopted new zoning codes that allow for the construction of these more traditional neighborhoods.

Well-known ‘new urbanism’ architects such as Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and Peter Calthorpe say truly new urbanite communities offer:

• Defined edges and centers. Each edge is approximately one-quarter mile or a five-minute walk from the community’s center.
• Functional pedestrian systems. These include short blocks and wide sidewalks.
• Well-located public space. This includes town squares and conveniently located parks.
• Affordable housing.
• Employment opportunities.
• Narrow streets to slow traffic.
• De-emphasized or hidden garages.
• Mixed land use for working, shopping, learning and other life activities.
• Grid layouts that facilitate through traffic. Street patterns create a network, connecting different parts of the neighborhood through a number of different routes.
• Houses of different architectural styles. But designers may establish an architectural code to create harmony.
• Public transit systems.
• Strong citizen participation. This derives from a sense of community.
• Economic diversity.