New Urban News

A professional newsletter for planners, developers, architects, builders, public officials and others who are interested in the creation of human-scale communities.

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Affordable housing looms

as a critical urban challenge

As the recession bottoms out, planners are looking how to leave room for moderate-income residents in walkable neighborhoods.

CNU and partners

approve LEED-ND

The LEED for Neighborhood Development program won unanimous approval from the four groups that were asked to decide whether the program should advance from pilot phase to full-scale operation.

Commentary:

Are Americans ready

for lifestyle change?

It’s okay to talk about hybrid and electric vehicles, wind farms, and even high speed rail — all of which look cool and high-tech. But don’t touch the American lifestyle; that’s “nonnegotiable.”

Other articles from the October-November 2009 issue of New Urban News:

Key to cutting infrastructure costs: TND

Infrastructure costs are 32 to 47 percent lower in traditional neighborhood development (TND) than in conventional suburban development. (In print only)

Miami approves nation’s largest

form-based code

In its second try, the Miami City Commission approved the “Miami 21” zoning code, which would place South Florida’s biggest city under a form-based code. (In print only)

Urban grocers proliferate

Demographic and market conditions are causing supermarkets in the District of Columbia region and elsewhere to modify their designs and fit walkable neighborhoods. (In print only)

Save the moonscape by the Bay?

A smart-growth plan runs up against environmental activists in Silicon Valley. (In print only)

Prince’s Foundation takes the heat

A government commission is examining whether Charles’s architectural activism violates Britain’s rules. (In print only)

Energizing a sluggish town center

Best-of-kind businesses are being enticed to a new Main Street in Habersham, South Carolina, that had previously failed to catch on. (In print only)

Bringing 365-day activity to communities

“How can we get people to use a place 365 days a year?” is the question that Live Work Learn Play asks with town center assignments. (In print only)

New rail line spawns TOD in Seattle

Now that the area’s first light-rail line is open, a bedraggled, auto-oriented section of the Rainier Valley in southeast Seattle is expected to eventually blossom with new housing and other development. (In print only)

Book reviews:

Green Metropolis: What the City Can Teach the Country About True Sustainability

By David Owen

Urban Design and People

By Michael Dobbins

Exploding the Myths of Modern Architecture

By Malcolm Millais

Urban Worrier: Making Politics Personal 

By Frank J Gruber

Also: CNU Update

Plus: • Smart Growth for Coastal and Waterfront Communities • how to accommodate bicycling across the rural-to-urban Transect •  “Walking the Walk: How Walkability Raises Housing Values in US Cities” •  a recent Planetizen poll • Emerald Cities • “Driving and the Built Environment: The Effects of Compact Development on Motorized Travel, Energy Use, and CO2 Emissions” • ripping out the elevated Interstate 10 expressway • Syracuse, New York • Street Design Manual •  20-mile light-rail line ••