« Insanely useful | Main | Swarming the Oligopoly » Congress for the New Urbanism in AustinI've been stewing in the juices of "new urbanism" via my sustainability focus, research, and work, and wishing that I could take time to attend the latest Congress for the New Urbanism here in Austin this week. That's a link to the Chronicle's preview by Katherine Gregor, which says New Urbanism has become shorthand for all things desirable in creating better communities: traditional neighborhoods, walkable street-scapes, diverse hous-ing choices, inviting public places, mixed-use town centers, coherent regions, favoring density over sprawl, sustainability. (For its core tenets, read the founding "Charter of the New Urbanism" at www.cnu.org/charter.) What CNU didn't start it has since embraced, with urbanist arms held wide. "We believe that community, economics, environment, and design need to be addressed simultaneously through urban design and planning," reads the mission statement. This kind of thinking aligns well with issues of sustainability, where the transformation of urban design and planning is as critical as the transformation of our economic thinking. Note Envision Central Texas' free 3pm event today, featuring Peter Calthorpe. jon posted this at 7:18 AM |
read weblogsky! latest posts: |
Comments
The City of Austin should be very proud to be hosting such a prestigous event. They don't hold these in Ugly Cities. As a builder/developer who practices Green Building, Sustainability and New Urbanism I am very excited for Austin, and the State of Texas to be linked to this important movement. The more awareness that can be brought to the building of places that will be a compliment to the area for generations, the better we all will be in the long run.
Posted by: Mark Felton | April 9, 2008 10:36 AM