According to http://www.pbs.org/newshour/newurbanism/, which has done a news hour special report on this the issue of New Urbanism, entitled "Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream," "New Urbanism is a town planning movement away from the spread-out, car-centered suburbs that have come to dominate the American landscape over the past 50 years." "New Urbanists promote a return to the traditional town planning that defines places like downtown Charleston, South Carolina; old town Alexandria, Va., historic San Francisco and Georgetown in Washington DC. These traditional neighborhoods feature walkable Main Street shopping districts, downtown parks, and grid streets." (also according to pbs).
There are ten core principles of New Urbanism, some of which include walkability, mixed housing, and quality of life. Walkability is having most necessities of life within a ten minute walking distance of home/work. Another principle is mixed housing, which is having "a range of types, sizes and prices in closer proximity" of a community, which is according to the New Urbanism website. (http://www.newurbanism.org/newurbanism/principles.html).
According to what New Urbanism is, I believe in my community of Wayne, NJ, that there is some evidence of New Urbanism but not completely. I believe there is much walkability in Wayne since where I live the high school is about a quarter of a mile away and it is also across the street from a shopping center that has a grocery store, post office, 2 banks, restaurants, and other necessities a town needs, as well as a gas station next to it. These type of necessities are all throughout Wayne and it is made convenient for people to access what they need and not have to travel out of town to fulfill their needs. There is also many ways to get around Wayne which not only include driving cars, but public transportation such as the frequent amount of bus stops and train stations that run through Wayne that can easily get those people who need to travel to New York City and other areas for work and leisure purposes. On the negative side, Wayne is a very middle to upper middle class area that is over developed with little open space left. Also, many families have a hard time living here because of the expensive taxes. People are constantly knocking down their homes and rebuilding them on the little property they have too.
I do not agree with the concept of New Urbanism because New Urbanists try to preserve what towns have and to create environments which tackle the problems of increased traffic, over development, and the need for more transportation. I believe it is too ambitious to be able to change the way towns have developed over time from an area of open space with much farmland to one that is more over developed such as Wayne. Wayne has a program, called Open Space, that the mayor of the town only implemented for a few years now and if it was started sooner, it would have had a bigger impact on the residents. I believe this was a good idea, but it was too little too late, hence why I disagree with the concept of New Urbanism since I have seen it firsthand in my home town.
New Urbanism is the re-development or new development of an area to make it more accessible and practical. New Urbanism proposes alternatives to current lifestyles to create a higher quality of life while minimizing the waste of natural resources and preserving the environment for the future. It suggests alternatives to the structure of housing units, from a more spread out model to a mixed ratio of multi-size and priced homes clustered together in the same neighborhoods. New urbanism is aimed at reducing the use of automobiles and promotes public transportation.(www.newurbanism.org)
Evidence of New Urbanism is definitely not visible in my community. Anything i may need or have to grab is at least a ten mile ride by car to the nearest store or gas station. It really would be a lot more efficient to have some more businesses within a few miles other than local bars, which are still too far of a walk. Public transportation has never been prevalent and is not planned on being brought into my community. The idea of putting a NJ Transit line in about 30 minutes away is under large debate, but no results. Homes are being built with the desire of privacy and a "no neighbors" policy at all costs. Most people do not appreciate being clustered in a small urban setting because they would not feel comfortable in my neighborhood. I can say on average the usual house is placed on about 2-3 acres of land with the house located on th opposite side of the lot from their neighbor. New Urbanism is a great idea because it will utilize less space with more resources for the people who live in those developed communities. Personally i feel public transportation is the only way to commute, although i have never had the option of public transportation i would relocate to have the opportunity. It makes more sense, besides being environmentally friendly, public transportation will be more cost effective and save money. I feel like having everything you need just a few steps away from the door is the best way to live because you will have less risk than if you had to drive or run across town and waste precious time running across town lines.I live in a rural area and have a lot of open space and farmland with very little in between, it's not all that bad, but it could be designed a little better to be more functional.
According to National Geographic, http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/00/earthpulse/sprawl/index_flash.html and a PBS brother site, http://www.pbs.org/newshour/newurbanism/keypoints.html, new urbanism is a type of planning that will return developments to a closer knit community, with more benefits than a sprawl community. What is the older type of planning? According to National Geographic older planning means a "web pedestrian- friendly streets cradling a mass-transit served town center surrounded by a mix of housing alternatives." This type of suburb/ development is in competition of recent planning that encouraged "sprawling." Sprawling means planning towns that are spread out and that are car centered suburbs. National Geographic notes that some positives of new urbanism are more open space, reducing car dependency which will also lower pollution levels, and will hopefully bring communities closer together. The planning will also encourage public transportation which will lessen traffic in many areas and inter- connected streets which will also alleviate traffic.
In my community, new urbanism was definitely used in planning my town's layout. The evidence might be skewed in the sense that I live in a town with a small population and square mileage. However, everything within my town and even the surrounding town is in walking distance and if a car was not available to me, it did not stop me from being able to go somewhere. Some other characteristics my town has with new urbanism is there are many parks/ fields with open space and the community is very close with each other. For example, on Saturdays businesses close down to attend the high school football game and you did not even have to ask where someone would be at 1 o’clock.
I fully agree with the concept of new urbanism planning because of the benefits it has for society. For me growing up in a new urbanism community, I have seen the positive effects first hand. I like how with this planning that the environment is taken into account by limiting pollution. Also, with making businesses and other houses within walking distance, it promotes exercise and a community in which everyone knows everyone. I have also seen a direct contrast to one of the negative connotations of new urbanism, which is that it mainly attracts white middle to upper class residents. In my community diversity was something that we would pride ourselves on. We had Polish, Portuguese, Hispanic, African Americans, upper class, working class etc. If a community promotes and encourages diversity, then it can and will flourish. One last negative with new urbanism is that privacy might be an issue. I believe that a healthier, friendlier, safer, and more diverse community is a great trade off for a little less privacy.
According to http://www.newurbannews.com/AboutNewUrbanism.html new urbanisim is the plan to make walkable communities. The plan is to make functional sustainable communties. With new urbanism the city has a distinct town center. Another aspect is to have different types of housing near the town center. This would allow people of varrying financial backgrounds and family size to live in the city. The new urbanism would have schools and playgrounds close enough to the residential houses that the children could walk. The grid of streets would be set up for motorists as well as walkers to provide safety for the community. Public transportation would also be utilized in the new urbanist city.
There is no evidence of new urbanism in my community. The streets are very unsafe for walking on. Many are windy and do not have sidewalks. We also do not have a grocery store in my town so we would not be able to get grocerys. We do however have a lot of parks in different sections of town, however it is still dangerous for most people to walk to due to lack of sidewalks.
I agree with the concept to an extent. I feel that it would be good for our environment if more people would walk places or use public transportation. I also feel that it would help some people find jobs because they would not need transportation to get there. In the new urbanist community there would not be a lot of privacy. I feel that people would be close together and if you don't feel comfortable with everyone that could cause a problem.
"New Urbanism is an approach to designing cities, towns, and neighborhoods. A New Urbanist neighborhood resembles an old European village with homes and businesses clustered together. Instead of driving on highways, residents of New Urbanist neighborhoods can walk to shops, businesses, theaters, schools, parks, and other important services."(http://architecture.about.com/od/communitydesign/g/newurban.htm I believe that everyday most places around the country are adapting this ideal into their own towns and cities. These businesses are being built more and more within walking distance from people's houses.
I live in the town of Nutley and I have seen this ideal at work. Nutley is a suburban town in Essex county that is mostly residential. However, over the last few years, there has been many new businesses that have been built.
I agree with this concept of New Urbanism because I feel that it will make the community more centralized. If people are in walking distance to local businesses right from their homes it may make the entire community seem a little smaller.
The web site www.newurbannews.com/AboutNewUrbanism.html explains that reacting to urban sprawl, town planners, builders, architects etc. are pushing for walk able communities. Helping out the planet, and perhaps shedding some American pounds simultaneously, the transformation of transit in communities will help communities and neighborhoods become self-sustainable walk able streets and blocks. While this seems like a notion that we should begin to focus on, I have not seen much change in the area I live in. While we always had sidewalks and such, there is very little foot traffic going on. The fact remains, many people live here and work there- there is simply not the availability of jobs in walk able distance to make a large impact in this idea. Again, in theory this idea sounds great, but in many communities, the idea of space is valued. Spacious lands, and distance not only from neighbors but work as well, sometimes is a necessary buffer that I for one enjoy having. What I do think is a good point, the revamping of our transit systems. Making transportation available and more convenient is certainly a push in the right direction, but seems to be slow-paced and concentrated in areas that have little to no impact on my personal needs, as well as the needs of many others in my area. Perhaps with time and a real push for this transformation, new urbanism may open a new chapter in American neighborhoods.
New urbanism is a movement that focuses on urban planning and architecture of a community. It stresses the idea of community as well as having the area be a walk able place. Townhouses, Duplexes, Single Family houses are all mixed in with one another as to give a better sense of community. There is an de-emphasis on the car, this concept looks to walking as a way of getting around locally. Within the town all the markets are close to the housing districts and the town must have a discernable center which would take place in a square or park like place. Streets are narrower and there are also a lot of leisure spots/playgrounds within the area of each group of housing. (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/newurbanism/). The new urbanism concept is really beautifying ones town/city, with an emphasis on a healthier and less jam packed environment one normally gets from a city or crowded suburban setting. To an extent I see that in my small town, Ho-Ho-Kus. It is a very small town that one could walk around in rather than using a car to go see a friend. It does have a discernable center of town where the markets are as well as a grassy spot in the center with a gazebo and benches. But aside from that I haven’t seen any sort of new urbanism concepts implemented in my town. I do feel this concept has its plus sides within changing a community by making it a more visually satisfying and less cluttered but to me it changes the dynamic of what an urban area should be. While I don’t believe and urban area should be run down and dirty I still feel that the more rugged attitude and feel of an urban area is what makes it special in its own. This concept could turn great urban areas into “urban Levittowns” with everything looking very similar to another urban area in a different part of the country. I think for now people should implement new urbanism concepts in small doses rather than trying to transform an area at one time.
According to newurbanism.org, new urbanism has ten goals, in building a community. The new urbanism attracts people with having houses ranging of different sizes and prices. Making these new neighborhoods a place for a range of people to live within it. "Walkiability" is the second prinicple in new urbansim. This meaning people can walk almost anywhere within ten minutes. There are close shops, homes, and "pedesrtain friendly streets".(http://www.newurbanism.org/newurbanism/principles.html)"Connectivity"which includes narrower streets, and grid networks follows. This attempts to stop traffic build up, and makes it more pleasurable to walk through. "Mixed use and diversity" is mixing a street with not just homes, but shops as well. There are many diverse buildings on one street. The fifth principle is "quality architure and design". This principle is according to newurbanism.org,"Emphasis on beauty, aesthetics, human comfort, and creating a sense of place; Special placement of civic uses and sites within community. Human scale architecture & beautiful surroundings nourish the human spirit." The seventh principle is "traditional neighborhood structure". These neighborhoods include a town square usually in the center and less density as you get further away. "Increased density" within the town, or community. This allows for more buisness, shops , and homes to be located closer together for convience. "Smart tranportation", in the town allows for more wakling, bicycle use, and other means besides using automobiles."Sustainibility" and "quality of life" are the last two principles in the new urbanism communities. Sustainability looks towards eco-friendly technologies and listes enegry efficient among it. Altogether the concepts' main goals are to the quality of life. People are using smart ways to save energy. Instead of driving they walk, which is also increasing their health patterns.
In my community of Hazlet, NJ I do see some concepts being put into place, but not a majority of them. Homes, shops and buisnesses are not really located within ten minute walks, and a lot of buildings do not have energy effecient means. I would say the denisty factor is seen in my community, as new buildings are being constructed. Buisness owners are trying to save space by having more buisnesses located in one building, which are.
I do agree with the concept of new urbanism. I think it is a great way to set up a community so people are more active, and aware of saving energy. Walking means less polution in that city, and increases peoples way of life.
As certain factors change in our economy and culture, there must be adaptations made in order to accommodate these changes and improve the quality of life. An example of this approach can be seen in the New Urbanism model. According to newurbanism.org, New Urbanism is "giving people many choices for living an urban lifestyle in sustainable, convenient and enjoyable places, while providing the solutions to peak oil, global warming, and climate change." This approach is based upon the ever-growing problem of gas/oil prices, as well as global pollution. In addition, another contributor to this approach is trying to maintain a closer knit community.
According to newurbannews.com, this movement aims to reconstruct communities like in times past. This website states, through the first quarter of the last century, the United States was developed in the form of compact, mixed-use neighborhoods. The pattern began to change with the emergence of modern architecture and zoning and ascension of the automobile. After World War II, a new system of development was implemented nationwide, replacing neighborhoods with a rigorous separation of uses that has become known as conventional suburban development. The latter is what our typical communities have become. However, with the recent crisis, it is evident that we are looking to go back to our original structures.
I my community of North Caldwell, NJ, I have not seen any evidence of New Urbanism. However, there is a strict law in place that does not allow any commercial establishments. Therefore, my community is strictly residential. Our town center includes a town hall, a police department, a fire department and a post office.
I do agree with the concept of New Urbanism and thing it will be a step in the right direction to conserve energy on transportation. I also believe that have a centralized location for businesses encourages citizens to spend their money within the community which helps strengthen commerce and relationships. I believe that only positive outcomes will be seen with New Urbanism.
To discover what New Urbanism is, I took a virtual tour of a New Urbanism community at: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ features/00/earthpulse/ sprawl/index_flash.html. I found that New Urbanism communities use walkability, mixed use of houses and buildings, and an overall better quality of life. New Urbanism incorporates different ways of consolidating our sprawling out technique. It uses the old model of "Main Street" building of pedestrian friendly neighborhoods that run on mass-transit and uses a variety of housing alternatives. The virtual tour made the New Urbanism community look clean, safe, and economically/environmentally friendly. New Urbanism is meant to save open space, reduce the dependence on automobiles, reduce pollution, and bring families and communities closer together. In addition, since everything is in walking distance, the neighborhood streets are set up in a grid-like pattern to help make everything convenient to everyone. In my town of East Rutherford, NJ I can see evidence of New Urbanism. The main two roads in my town is filled with a variety of stores that run in both directions of the road. For many residents, it is a quick walk to a convenience store, grocery store, pharmacy, bank, bus stop, and clothing store. There is a NJ Transit bus, number 703, which runs up and down the two main roads and stops along the way so you are sure to get to where you need to be. Further, my town is moving farther towards mass transit because we have so many city workers who live here. Now-a-days you can catch a taxi on the street corner. For the most part I feel like my town shows good aspects of New Urbanism, except for the whole clean, picturesque scene. E.R. is not dirty or unsanitary contrary to some beliefs, but I will admit, it is not the prettiest town. E.R. is congested and there is a lot of pollution and some may say it smells from the meadowlands, but overall it does a nice job of providing convenience, low to moderate taxes depending on homeownership status, and it tries to provide a close together community feeling. I agree with the concept to a point. I think there are some really good ideas that can be used from New Urbanism. I like the ideas about alternative housing and building use, but I think the reduction of car use is impossible. People in America love their cars and I can’t see them giving them up so they can walk. Further, this close community feeling is also next to impossible. I have lived in E.R. for 21 years and even though the residents try to appear close, they are really not. In most of our schools family involvement is minimal and at some none existent, so why would communities show closeness when parents don’t even show closeness to the school environment? To me New Urbanism communities look like "Pleasantville" too perfect and fake looking. Overall, New Urbanism is a good concept, but I feel it is too far fetched for a society like ours.
According to http://www.newurbanism.org/index.html “New Urbanism” is defined as "Giving people many choices for living an urban lifestyle in sustainable, convenient and enjoyable places, while providing the solutions to peak oil, global warming, and climate change" After exploring the NewUrbanism.org site as well as NationalGeogrphic.com I get the feeling that this “smart growth” system is attempting to break us away from our fossil fuel dominated society. To change the whole look from modern suburbs to a more small town urban feeling where there is a close knit community and less dependence on fuels to travel. After taking the tour of the national geographic site the “Urbanism” movement is seeking to bring a community together no matter what the income of each family is. It hopes to promote the intermingling of all social ethnic and income levels. (http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/00/earthpulse/sprawl/index_flash.html) New Urbanism seems to be a movement that wants to improve the quality of life for people and as well as the environment. There are many benefits to a close knit society. We as a society are a very wasteful society. The practice of New Urbanism lessons our societies carbon footprint on our environment. Some may ask what is a carbon foot print I remember learning about it in my global issues class and as defined athttp://www.carbonfootprint.com/carbonfootprint.html “A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact our activities have on the environment, and in particular climate change. It relates to the amount of greenhouse gases produced in our day-to-day lives through burning fossil fuels for electricity, heating and transportation etc” Urbanism seems to be one of the many answers to lesson our impact on our environment and bring that small town feeling back to America.
What I have done is glanced at each of the sources that were previously sited before mine, namely those provided by Robin, Matt, Elizabeth and Nick. This is not to avoid the research, it is to rather keep from over-researching the same stuff over and over again for this particular blog.
New Urbanism, as mentioned in the About.com finding of its definition, is not a new idea. It is a somewhat forgotten idea in terms of the past half century's development of this country's general housing. New Urbanism resembles a cluster of homes and businesses (mainly shops but also some recreational facilities) resembling a more old-fashioned type community. In fact, it can closely be related to a "village" of sorts, where most necessary services are readily available in the context of price, locality and quality. The PBS.org site explains that the New Urbanism as opposed to the "sprawl" provides a much more heightened sense of community.
As well as seeming more friendly and open, the New Urbanism community is more eco-friendly in de-emphasizing the necessity and dependency on a car. The National Geographic site mentions how the car is that much less necessary in respect to transporting children to and from things such as school because of the closeness of all the entities.
My community is somewhere in between the sprawl and the New Urbanism ideas. I would say that it leans more towards the sprawl, however. It is very necessary to own a car in this area due to the fact that even the closest high school can be four miles away. As well the closest supermarket is nearly two miles away. My own neighborhood is actually located in between a ShopRite and the Garden State Plaza mall so there is not a huge necessity for having a car most days when certain things are needed (a gallon of milk, per se). Even so, there are not a lot of things evident of this New Urbanist community.
I can't say that I totally agree with the New Urbanism idea. Personally, I like my privacy at times and I like the fact that parts of my family's property are secluded from our neighbors. This isn't to say that we don't get along with them or don't like them, but I feel that they would say the same.
This sort of design (New Urbanism) seems to have its advantages; I, however, having been raised in a much different type of community, may have a very difficult time changing out of my "sprawlish" tendencies to this more condensed version of a full town.
New urbanism according to pbs.org consists of four main points; walkability, de-emphasizing the car, a mixed zoning, and community. The idea of a walking city is key to this model. People living in the community must beable to walk to work school and shops. This will make the car less important and adds to the greenness of the the plan. Ifeel that this model would make for a great place to live. The idea of deconstructing the concentric zone system would make for an interesting and diverse town/city. I am a big fan of of placesl like hoboken and suburban towns with a walkable downtown. To me this model would be the best of both worlds. The close knit comunity is also something i find to be favorable. The one downside I can think of is that gentricfacation may have have to take place which could cause social and economic problems, but otherwise Im all for it.
According to the site: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/newurbanism/, New Urbanism is "the return to the traditional town planning that defines places. These traditional neighborhoods feature walkable Main Street shopping districts, downtown parks, and grid streets. According to the Newshour report there are four main core principles that new urbanism follows. These principles consist of walkability, de-emphization of the car, a mix of housing types, and the community. The first principle of walkability is to emphasize the importance of a close knit community since this lead to public sidewalks that lead to local stores as well as schools and places of work. With this walkability came the de-emphasis of the car. To de-emphasize the car these new urbanist towns had parallel parking instead of parking lots and had hidden garages. The third principle of mix was to allow for different size and type of homes in the community. They would range from large single family homes to apartments, which were usually built above ground level businesses. The final principle is that of the community. They emphasize the importance of the community by making the houses close to each other so neighbors would interact more.
I definitely see new urbanism in my community. In my town there are sidewalks all over the center of my town as well as along all the roads that are near the schools. My town is also small enough that almost everything is within walking distance of each other. There is also a nice mix of houses in my town where there are many single family homes around my town as well as two family homes in certain areas where one family lives upstairs and one lives downstairs. Also, in our little business area in the center of our town, there are businesses on the street level but all the buildings are two to five floors which are apartment homes. the houses in my community are built close to each other and it does lead you to become close to your neighbors as just as new urbanism hopes. I have known my neighbors pretty well until recently when most of them have moved away in the past couple of years.
I feel that new urbanism is a good idea and i do agree with it. Since my community seems to be based on this concept I feel that since it has worked for me and my family it is a pretty good idea. When I was little I use to walk to school or ride my bike to school with my friends from neighborhood just like this idea promotes. The idea of trying to make a close-knit community is really a pretty smart idea because there are people that are shy or afraid to talk to other people in this world and with everyone being so close to each other it opens them up to make friends and have a good time with their neighbors and community.
I believe that in my town (Cedar Grove) can be categorized as a new urban area to an extent. From where I live (off rt. 23 by the foodtown) I can walk to everything in the center of town including the public library, bank, deli etc. Of course it depends on where you live in regards to the center of the town that can makes you belive you live in a new urban area. Consider how big/small a town is, such as Cedar Grove which I believe to be a relatively small town i think that new urbanism exists.
According to http://www.newurbanism.org/ New Urbanism is "Giving people many choices for living an urban lifestyle in sustainable, convenient and enjoyable places, while providing the solutions to peak oil, global warming, and climate change". The site also states that there are 10 principles of New Urbanism which include; walkability (having everything within a 10 minute walk), connectivity (all infrastructure is connected), mixed use and diversity (range of businesses and types of people), mixed housing, quality architecture and design, traditional neighborhood design, increased density, smart transportation, sustainability, and quality of life. I live in Manhattan so I can safely conclude that yes I do see evidence of this in my own community. Manhattan employs each and every one of those principles. The quality of life used to be much lower, but it has improved immensely as New York is constantly changing. I do agree with the concept. The fact that anything I could possibly want is just a short walk away is something that I am grateful for in New York. Also, I enjoy the diversity of people, whom I have learned a great deal from. New York transportation is unmatched when it comes to convenience and I rely upon it so much that I feel lost when I am anywhere without the New York subway system. The transportation also goes along with connectivity. I believe that access to a wide array of businesses and service is extremely important. I have hundreds of choices about what I'd like to eat or do on a daily basis in Manhattan and I wouldn't trade it for anything. The concept of New Urbanism is definitely a positive and could do wonders for any neighborhood and its inhabitants.
"New Urbanism is an approach to designing cities, towns, and neighborhoods. A New Urbanist neighborhood resembles an old European village with homes and businesses clustered together. Instead of driving on highways, residents of New Urbanist neighborhoods can walk to shops, businesses, theaters, schools, parks, and other important services." This is the most complete and easy to understand definition of New Urbanism that I could find. (architecture.about.com) New Urbanism is also shows the progress in development of an area, making it more efficient and accessible. It is supposed to minimize the use of natural resources while still improving quality of life. It promotes a better lifestyle including public transportation rather than personal automobiles.
My community isn't too far from the central ideas of New Urbanism. I live in a suburban area not too far from the city and I agree with the concept and think it should be promoted more in my town. I like the classic nature and simplicity of New Urbanism. I feel it is very beneficial to a community and those that live in it. It utilizes and appreciates the environment while maintaining stability within the society.
According to the website, www.newurbanism.org, new urbanism is "Giving people many choices for living an urban lifestyle in sustainable, convenient and enjoyable places, while providing the solutions to peak oil, global warming, and climate change" To me, this means building more commercial buildings near homes so residents can just walk to the grocery store, clothing store, or anything else of the sort rather than driving which would pollute the air and use up gasoline, a natural resource. http://www.newurbannews.com/AboutNewUrbanism.html goes into detail about when this change occurred from being able to walk everywhere to having to drive everywhere.
In my town, Livingston, they have recently finished building a town center right across the street from my house. It includes houses, a 5 story condo, and stores all in one area. The stores include a convenience shop, an appliance store, a bank, a restaurant, a bakery, and a few other shops that I do not recall.
I think this is a good idea. I don’t know if it will work too well though. There is a great deal of competition for low prices and smaller shops usually do not beat others prices due to the lack of volume. Large chain stores sell a lot more and have more room to store extra items. The only thing I don’t like about this new urbanism idea is how there is always traffic in front of my house.
According to the State of New Jersey website, New Urbanism is a neighborhood design trend that incorporates neo-traditional concepts to promote function and livability. Researching into the definition further, it is a city design that is centered around an atmosphere which promotes more of a pedestrian-friendly environment, composed of shopping areas near homes which are easily accessible by walking, along with fostering a sense of community among the area's residents. This is common around the world, and I have experienced this in Europe (specifically Poland) and Australia (suburbs of Sydney). However, my town would not be an example of this because we have two major shopping areas in town which are not accessible to pedestrians who do not live in the area. The closest food store to me is about 20 minutes walking, and it is a supermarket, not a mom and pop grocery store which would be ideal in a new urban setting. I definately agree with the concept of New Urbanism as it promotes physical fitness, independence of motor vehicles which harm the environment, and promote personal relationships among residents.
New Urbanism, according to the Transportation Demand Management (TDM) encyclopedia (http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm24.htm), is a movement that involves a kind of revolution that is taking place in cities all across the country. New Urbanism has aspects of change including a movement towards bringing communities closer together, decreasing the value placed on automotive travel, having a distinguished "activity center", close housing proximity to this center, diverse housing suitable to the differing needs of individual families, diverse merchant centers to suit different financial needs, and the creation of a closeness that is becoming more and more seldom seen in today's world. There are a lot of examples, I believe, of New Urbanism aspects developing in my current community. I live in Rockaway Township New Jersey. Over the years I have seen the community get closer and promote interacting with each other's neighbors. A current center in my community is the Rockaway Mall. For many the mall is a center for shopping, social recreation, and a place to go to to spend free time. Community activities are also held at the mall. This includes concerts, award ceremonies, board meetings, and "shows" like car shows and boat shows. There is a lot of housing around the mall and it is in walking distance for a lot of people. Sidewalks are common all over the community and more are being put in all the time. Other public places exist such as various parks and lakes. The New Urbanism trend is continuing in my community and will probably continue to do so for many more decades. I think New Urbanism is a creative way of dealing with many of the problems that develop in an Urban community. It handles transportation problems and class problems. Vehicle transportation is discouraged and walking encouraged which has many benefits of its own (it's healthier and promotes better awareness of surroundings and is better for the earth). I strongly agree with the concept and think it needs more support. Hopefully the coming years will bring more "New Urbanism" ideals to cities all around the country.
New urbanism is a set of guidelines that can be incorporated into the creation of a town. They were created to replace the sprawl design of the last fifty years. New urbanism focuses on enabling the inhabitants to walk to almost any place in the town. The design requires a town center that can be reached easily by all its citizens, elementary schools a close distance to each home, and a multitude of parks that are easily reached from any location. My town of Lyndhurst does have some aspects of new urbanism. The town of Lyndhurst was established in 1917, so it is much older than the new urbanism movement. The movement does however take ideas from many different types of towns throughout history and therefore has some similarities with Lyndhurst. The town’s center which is located on Valley Brook Ave and Delafield Ave is home to a park which has recently been revitalized. This area is where many of the busses stop, and is also close to the train station. The entire town is only about one square mile so most of the town is within a five minute walk from the town center. The town has six grammar schools so most children are in walking distance. I don’t really feel to strongly either for or against the ideals of new urbanism. I think that some of its ideas like roads ending in a “T” would cause more traffic than the traditional grid setup, and I don’t like the idea of pushing all the businesses to the outskirts of the town. I do however think that there should be parks in close proximity to the homes, and the parking being off the streets. Source: http://www.newurbannews.com/AboutNewUrbanism.html
New Urbanism is a movement that began in the middle of the last decade it is a shift from a destructive society to a more environmental friendly one. It includes the study of green power. To some extent there is evidence of new urbanism but not for the reason of becoming environmentally friendly. People are commuting more in comparison to driving for economical reason. It has become financial unsettling to try and live in communities were driving is you main source of commuting. This increase in commuting is also highlighting the intricate networks of public transportation. Although it is unclear which came first since many cities already had complex systems of transportation available to the community. www.newurbanism.org
I learned about New Urbanism by viewing a news segment from CBS Sunday morning news: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRrl7LwNUtw
The main reason for this design is for communiates to become more effiecent and more oragnized. The layout of an example of a community that follows a new ubranist suit is as follows; 1/3 are multiple family homes, 1/3 are condominiums, and a 1/3 are houses with small yards. The idea is to move away from the suburban sprawl. According to the news broadcast "Suburbia" is not living up to the promises it holds. There are many McMansions that take up a lot of space and spread out land. The situation is very cold and the traffic is unbearable to most - according to the news report. Suburbia is not living up to the American dream and some are claiming that New Urbanism can fix those concerns.
New Urbanism allows a more structured and planned layout. New urbanism moves away from the car centered transportation and moves towards a better transportation system that is heavlity reliant on cars. This also creates more of a sense of community.
In my mind, the American dream is an individual goal in which a family wishes to attain the single family home, huge yard, and white picket fence. I think that New Urbanism is a great idea - but that it will remain as an idea. Individuals would much rather have their own "yards" and "land" even if it is miles away from the huge Wal Mart that serves as their primary grocery store. Quite frankly, this country resists change and New Urbanism would be the ultimate change - Americans would much rather be miserable sitting in two hours of traffic waiting to get to their homes in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a white picket fence.
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According to http://www.pbs.org/newshour/newurbanism/, which has done a news hour special report on this the issue of New Urbanism, entitled "Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream," "New Urbanism is a town planning movement away from the spread-out, car-centered suburbs that have come to dominate the American landscape over the past 50 years." "New Urbanists promote a return to the traditional town planning that defines places like downtown Charleston, South Carolina; old town Alexandria, Va., historic San Francisco and Georgetown in Washington DC. These traditional neighborhoods feature walkable Main Street shopping districts, downtown parks, and grid streets." (also according to pbs).
There are ten core principles of New Urbanism, some of which include walkability, mixed housing, and quality of life. Walkability is having most necessities of life within a ten minute walking distance of home/work. Another principle is mixed housing, which is having "a range of types, sizes and prices in closer proximity" of a community, which is according to the New Urbanism website. (http://www.newurbanism.org/newurbanism/principles.html).
According to what New Urbanism is, I believe in my community of Wayne, NJ, that there is some evidence of New Urbanism but not completely. I believe there is much walkability in Wayne since where I live the high school is about a quarter of a mile away and it is also across the street from a shopping center that has a grocery store, post office, 2 banks, restaurants, and other necessities a town needs, as well as a gas station next to it. These type of necessities are all throughout Wayne and it is made convenient for people to access what they need and not have to travel out of town to fulfill their needs. There is also many ways to get around Wayne which not only include driving cars, but public transportation such as the frequent amount of bus stops and train stations that run through Wayne that can easily get those people who need to travel to New York City and other areas for work and leisure purposes. On the negative side, Wayne is a very middle to upper middle class area that is over developed with little open space left. Also, many families have a hard time living here because of the expensive taxes. People are constantly knocking down their homes and rebuilding them on the little property they have too.
I do not agree with the concept of New Urbanism because New Urbanists try to preserve what towns have and to create environments which tackle the problems of increased traffic, over development, and the need for more transportation. I believe it is too ambitious to be able to change the way towns have developed over time from an area of open space with much farmland to one that is more over developed such as Wayne. Wayne has a program, called Open Space, that the mayor of the town only implemented for a few years now and if it was started sooner, it would have had a bigger impact on the residents. I believe this was a good idea, but it was too little too late, hence why I disagree with the concept of New Urbanism since I have seen it firsthand in my home town.
New Urbanism is the re-development or new development of an area to make it more accessible and practical. New Urbanism proposes alternatives to current lifestyles to create a higher quality of life while minimizing the waste of natural resources and preserving the environment for the future. It suggests alternatives to the structure of housing units, from a more spread out model to a mixed ratio of multi-size and priced homes clustered together in the same neighborhoods. New urbanism is aimed at reducing the use of automobiles and promotes public transportation.(www.newurbanism.org)
Evidence of New Urbanism is definitely not visible in my community. Anything i may need or have to grab is at least a ten mile ride by car to the nearest store or gas station. It really would be a lot more efficient to have some more businesses within a few miles other than local bars, which are still too far of a walk. Public transportation has never been prevalent and is not planned on being brought into my community. The idea of putting a NJ Transit line in about 30 minutes away is under large debate, but no results. Homes are being built with the desire of privacy and a "no neighbors" policy at all costs. Most people do not appreciate being clustered in a small urban setting because they would not feel comfortable in my neighborhood. I can say on average the usual house is placed on about 2-3 acres of land with the house located on th opposite side of the lot from their neighbor.
New Urbanism is a great idea because it will utilize less space with more resources for the people who live in those developed communities. Personally i feel public transportation is the only way to commute, although i have never had the option of public transportation i would relocate to have the opportunity. It makes more sense, besides being environmentally friendly, public transportation will be more cost effective and save money. I feel like having everything you need just a few steps away from the door is the best way to live because you will have less risk than if you had to drive or run across town and waste precious time running across town lines.I live in a rural area and have a lot of open space and farmland with very little in between, it's not all that bad, but it could be designed a little better to be more functional.
According to National Geographic, http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/00/earthpulse/sprawl/index_flash.html and a PBS brother site, http://www.pbs.org/newshour/newurbanism/keypoints.html, new urbanism is a type of planning that will return developments to a closer knit community, with more benefits than a sprawl community. What is the older type of planning? According to National Geographic older planning means a "web pedestrian- friendly streets cradling a mass-transit served town center surrounded by a mix of housing alternatives." This type of suburb/ development is in competition of recent planning that encouraged "sprawling." Sprawling means planning towns that are spread out and that are car centered suburbs. National Geographic notes that some positives of new urbanism are more open space, reducing car dependency which will also lower pollution levels, and will hopefully bring communities closer together. The planning will also encourage public transportation which will lessen traffic in many areas and inter- connected streets which will also alleviate traffic.
In my community, new urbanism was definitely used in planning my town's layout. The evidence might be skewed in the sense that I live in a town with a small population and square mileage. However, everything within my town and even the surrounding town is in walking distance and if a car was not available to me, it did not stop me from being able to go somewhere. Some other characteristics my town has with new urbanism is there are many parks/ fields with open space and the community is very close with each other. For example, on Saturdays businesses close down to attend the high school football game and you did not even have to ask where someone would be at 1 o’clock.
I fully agree with the concept of new urbanism planning because of the benefits it has for society. For me growing up in a new urbanism community, I have seen the positive effects first hand. I like how with this planning that the environment is taken into account by limiting pollution. Also, with making businesses and other houses within walking distance, it promotes exercise and a community in which everyone knows everyone. I have also seen a direct contrast to one of the negative connotations of new urbanism, which is that it mainly attracts white middle to upper class residents. In my community diversity was something that we would pride ourselves on. We had Polish, Portuguese, Hispanic, African Americans, upper class, working class etc. If a community promotes and encourages diversity, then it can and will flourish. One last negative with new urbanism is that privacy might be an issue. I believe that a healthier, friendlier, safer, and more diverse community is a great trade off for a little less privacy.
According to http://www.newurbannews.com/AboutNewUrbanism.html new urbanisim is the plan to make walkable communities. The plan is to make functional sustainable communties. With new urbanism the city has a distinct town center. Another aspect is to have different types of housing near the town center. This would allow people of varrying financial backgrounds and family size to live in the city. The new urbanism would have schools and playgrounds close enough to the residential houses that the children could walk. The grid of streets would be set up for motorists as well as walkers to provide safety for the community. Public transportation would also be utilized in the new urbanist city.
There is no evidence of new urbanism in my community. The streets are very unsafe for walking on. Many are windy and do not have sidewalks. We also do not have a grocery store in my town so we would not be able to get grocerys. We do however have a lot of parks in different sections of town, however it is still dangerous for most people to walk to due to lack of sidewalks.
I agree with the concept to an extent. I feel that it would be good for our environment if more people would walk places or use public transportation. I also feel that it would help some people find jobs because they would not need transportation to get there. In the new urbanist community there would not be a lot of privacy. I feel that people would be close together and if you don't feel comfortable with everyone that could cause a problem.
"New Urbanism is an approach to designing cities, towns, and neighborhoods. A New Urbanist neighborhood resembles an old European village with homes and businesses clustered together. Instead of driving on highways, residents of New Urbanist neighborhoods can walk to shops, businesses, theaters, schools, parks, and other important services."(http://architecture.about.com/od/communitydesign/g/newurban.htm
I believe that everyday most places around the country are adapting this ideal into their own towns and cities. These businesses are being built more and more within walking distance from people's houses.
I live in the town of Nutley and I have seen this ideal at work. Nutley is a suburban town in Essex county that is mostly residential. However, over the last few years, there has been many new businesses that have been built.
I agree with this concept of New Urbanism because I feel that it will make the community more centralized. If people are in walking distance to local businesses right from their homes it may make the entire community seem a little smaller.
The web site www.newurbannews.com/AboutNewUrbanism.html explains that reacting to urban sprawl, town planners, builders, architects etc. are pushing for walk able communities. Helping out the planet, and perhaps shedding some American pounds simultaneously, the transformation of transit in communities will help communities and neighborhoods become self-sustainable walk able streets and blocks.
While this seems like a notion that we should begin to focus on, I have not seen much change in the area I live in. While we always had sidewalks and such, there is very little foot traffic going on. The fact remains, many people live here and work there- there is simply not the availability of jobs in walk able distance to make a large impact in this idea.
Again, in theory this idea sounds great, but in many communities, the idea of space is valued. Spacious lands, and distance not only from neighbors but work as well, sometimes is a necessary buffer that I for one enjoy having. What I do think is a good point, the revamping of our transit systems. Making transportation available and more convenient is certainly a push in the right direction, but seems to be slow-paced and concentrated in areas that have little to no impact on my personal needs, as well as the needs of many others in my area. Perhaps with time and a real push for this transformation, new urbanism may open a new chapter in American neighborhoods.
New urbanism is a movement that focuses on urban planning and architecture of a community. It stresses the idea of community as well as having the area be a walk able place. Townhouses, Duplexes, Single Family houses are all mixed in with one another as to give a better sense of community. There is an de-emphasis on the car, this concept looks to walking as a way of getting around locally. Within the town all the markets are close to the housing districts and the town must have a discernable center which would take place in a square or park like place. Streets are narrower and there are also a lot of leisure spots/playgrounds within the area of each group of housing. (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/newurbanism/). The new urbanism concept is really beautifying ones town/city, with an emphasis on a healthier and less jam packed environment one normally gets from a city or crowded suburban setting. To an extent I see that in my small town, Ho-Ho-Kus. It is a very small town that one could walk around in rather than using a car to go see a friend. It does have a discernable center of town where the markets are as well as a grassy spot in the center with a gazebo and benches. But aside from that I haven’t seen any sort of new urbanism concepts implemented in my town. I do feel this concept has its plus sides within changing a community by making it a more visually satisfying and less cluttered but to me it changes the dynamic of what an urban area should be. While I don’t believe and urban area should be run down and dirty I still feel that the more rugged attitude and feel of an urban area is what makes it special in its own. This concept could turn great urban areas into “urban Levittowns” with everything looking very similar to another urban area in a different part of the country. I think for now people should implement new urbanism concepts in small doses rather than trying to transform an area at one time.
According to newurbanism.org, new urbanism has ten goals, in building a community. The new urbanism attracts people with having houses ranging of different sizes and prices. Making these new neighborhoods a place for a range of people to live within it. "Walkiability" is the second prinicple in new urbansim. This meaning people can walk almost anywhere within ten minutes. There are close shops, homes, and "pedesrtain friendly streets".(http://www.newurbanism.org/newurbanism/principles.html)"Connectivity"which includes narrower streets, and grid networks follows. This attempts to stop traffic build up, and makes it more pleasurable to walk through. "Mixed use and diversity" is mixing a street with not just homes, but shops as well. There are many diverse buildings on one street. The fifth principle is "quality architure and design". This principle is according to newurbanism.org,"Emphasis on beauty, aesthetics, human comfort, and creating a sense of place; Special placement of civic uses and sites within community. Human scale architecture & beautiful surroundings nourish the human spirit." The seventh principle is "traditional neighborhood structure". These neighborhoods include a town square usually in the center and less density as you get further away. "Increased density" within the town, or community. This allows for more buisness, shops , and homes to be located closer together for convience. "Smart tranportation", in the town allows for more wakling, bicycle use, and other means besides using automobiles."Sustainibility" and "quality of life" are the last two principles in the new urbanism communities. Sustainability looks towards eco-friendly technologies and listes enegry efficient among it. Altogether the concepts' main goals are to the quality of life. People are using smart ways to save energy. Instead of driving they walk, which is also increasing their health patterns.
In my community of Hazlet, NJ I do see some concepts being put into place, but not a majority of them. Homes, shops and buisnesses are not really located within ten minute walks, and a lot of buildings do not have energy effecient means. I would say the denisty factor is seen in my community, as new buildings are being constructed. Buisness owners are trying to save space by having more buisnesses located in one building, which are.
I do agree with the concept of new urbanism. I think it is a great way to set up a community so people are more active, and aware of saving energy. Walking means less polution in that city, and increases peoples way of life.
As certain factors change in our economy and culture, there must be adaptations made in order to accommodate these changes and improve the quality of life. An example of this approach can be seen in the New Urbanism model. According to newurbanism.org, New Urbanism is "giving people many choices for living an urban lifestyle in sustainable, convenient and enjoyable places, while providing the solutions to peak oil, global warming, and climate change." This approach is based upon the ever-growing problem of gas/oil prices, as well as global pollution. In addition, another contributor to this approach is trying to maintain a closer knit community.
According to newurbannews.com, this movement aims to reconstruct communities like in times past. This website states, through the first quarter of the last century, the United States was developed in the form of compact, mixed-use neighborhoods. The pattern began to change with the emergence of modern architecture and zoning and ascension of the automobile. After World War II, a new system of development was implemented nationwide, replacing neighborhoods with a rigorous separation of uses that has become known as conventional suburban development. The latter is what our typical communities have become. However, with the recent crisis, it is evident that we are looking to go back to our original structures.
I my community of North Caldwell, NJ, I have not seen any evidence of New Urbanism. However, there is a strict law in place that does not allow any commercial establishments. Therefore, my community is strictly residential. Our town center includes a town hall, a police department, a fire department and a post office.
I do agree with the concept of New Urbanism and thing it will be a step in the right direction to conserve energy on transportation. I also believe that have a centralized location for businesses encourages citizens to spend their money within the community which helps strengthen commerce and relationships. I believe that only positive outcomes will be seen with New Urbanism.
To discover what New Urbanism is, I took a virtual tour of a New Urbanism community at: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/
features/00/earthpulse/
sprawl/index_flash.html. I found that New Urbanism communities use walkability, mixed use of houses and buildings, and an overall better quality of life. New Urbanism incorporates different ways of consolidating our sprawling out technique. It uses the old model of "Main Street" building of pedestrian friendly neighborhoods that run on mass-transit and uses a variety of housing alternatives. The virtual tour made the New Urbanism community look clean, safe, and economically/environmentally friendly. New Urbanism is meant to save open space, reduce the dependence on automobiles, reduce pollution, and bring families and communities closer together. In addition, since everything is in walking distance, the neighborhood streets are set up in a grid-like pattern to help make everything convenient to everyone. In my town of East Rutherford, NJ I can see evidence of New Urbanism. The main two roads in my town is filled with a variety of stores that run in both directions of the road. For many residents, it is a quick walk to a convenience store, grocery store, pharmacy, bank, bus stop, and clothing store. There is a NJ Transit bus, number 703, which runs up and down the two main roads and stops along the way so you are sure to get to where you need to be. Further, my town is moving farther towards mass transit because we have so many city workers who live here. Now-a-days you can catch a taxi on the street corner. For the most part I feel like my town shows good aspects of New Urbanism, except for the whole clean, picturesque scene. E.R. is not dirty or unsanitary contrary to some beliefs, but I will admit, it is not the prettiest town. E.R. is congested and there is a lot of pollution and some may say it smells from the meadowlands, but overall it does a nice job of providing convenience, low to moderate taxes depending on homeownership status, and it tries to provide a close together community feeling.
I agree with the concept to a point. I think there are some really good ideas that can be used from New Urbanism. I like the ideas about alternative housing and building use, but I think the reduction of car use is impossible. People in America love their cars and I can’t see them giving them up so they can walk. Further, this close community feeling is also next to impossible. I have lived in E.R. for 21 years and even though the residents try to appear close, they are really not. In most of our schools family involvement is minimal and at some none existent, so why would communities show closeness when parents don’t even show closeness to the school environment? To me New Urbanism communities look like "Pleasantville" too perfect and fake looking. Overall, New Urbanism is a good concept, but I feel it is too far fetched for a society like ours.
According to http://www.newurbanism.org/index.html “New Urbanism” is defined as "Giving people many choices for living an urban lifestyle in sustainable, convenient and enjoyable places, while providing the solutions to peak oil, global warming, and climate change" After exploring the NewUrbanism.org site as well as NationalGeogrphic.com I get the feeling that this “smart growth” system is attempting to break us away from our fossil fuel dominated society. To change the whole look from modern suburbs to a more small town urban feeling where there is a close knit community and less dependence on fuels to travel. After taking the tour of the national geographic site the “Urbanism” movement is seeking to bring a community together no matter what the income of each family is. It hopes to promote the intermingling of all social ethnic and income levels.
(http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/00/earthpulse/sprawl/index_flash.html)
New Urbanism seems to be a movement that wants to improve the quality of life for people and as well as the environment. There are many benefits to a close knit society. We as a society are a very wasteful society. The practice of New Urbanism lessons our societies carbon footprint on our environment. Some may ask what is a carbon foot print I remember learning about it in my global issues class and as defined athttp://www.carbonfootprint.com/carbonfootprint.html “A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact our activities have on the environment, and in particular climate change. It relates to the amount of greenhouse gases produced in our day-to-day lives through burning fossil fuels for electricity, heating and transportation etc” Urbanism seems to be one of the many answers to lesson our impact on our environment and bring that small town feeling back to America.
What I have done is glanced at each of the sources that were previously sited before mine, namely those provided by Robin, Matt, Elizabeth and Nick. This is not to avoid the research, it is to rather keep from over-researching the same stuff over and over again for this particular blog.
New Urbanism, as mentioned in the About.com finding of its definition, is not a new idea. It is a somewhat forgotten idea in terms of the past half century's development of this country's general housing. New Urbanism resembles a cluster of homes and businesses (mainly shops but also some recreational facilities) resembling a more old-fashioned type community. In fact, it can closely be related to a "village" of sorts, where most necessary services are readily available in the context of price, locality and quality. The PBS.org site explains that the New Urbanism as opposed to the "sprawl" provides a much more heightened sense of community.
As well as seeming more friendly and open, the New Urbanism community is more eco-friendly in de-emphasizing the necessity and dependency on a car. The National Geographic site mentions how the car is that much less necessary in respect to transporting children to and from things such as school because of the closeness of all the entities.
My community is somewhere in between the sprawl and the New Urbanism ideas. I would say that it leans more towards the sprawl, however. It is very necessary to own a car in this area due to the fact that even the closest high school can be four miles away. As well the closest supermarket is nearly two miles away. My own neighborhood is actually located in between a ShopRite and the Garden State Plaza mall so there is not a huge necessity for having a car most days when certain things are needed (a gallon of milk, per se). Even so, there are not a lot of things evident of this New Urbanist community.
I can't say that I totally agree with the New Urbanism idea. Personally, I like my privacy at times and I like the fact that parts of my family's property are secluded from our neighbors. This isn't to say that we don't get along with them or don't like them, but I feel that they would say the same.
This sort of design (New Urbanism) seems to have its advantages; I, however, having been raised in a much different type of community, may have a very difficult time changing out of my "sprawlish" tendencies to this more condensed version of a full town.
New urbanism according to pbs.org consists of four main points; walkability, de-emphasizing the car, a mixed zoning, and community. The idea of a walking city is key to this model. People living in the community must beable to walk to work school and shops. This will make the car less important and adds to the greenness of the the plan. Ifeel that this model would make for a great place to live. The idea of deconstructing the concentric zone system would make for an interesting and diverse town/city. I am a big fan of of placesl like hoboken and suburban towns with a walkable downtown. To me this model would be the best of both worlds. The close knit comunity is also something i find to be favorable. The one downside I can think of is that gentricfacation may have have to take place which could cause social and economic problems, but otherwise Im all for it.
According to the site: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/newurbanism/, New Urbanism is "the return to the traditional town planning that defines places. These traditional neighborhoods feature walkable Main Street shopping districts, downtown parks, and grid streets. According to the Newshour report there are four main core principles that new urbanism follows. These principles consist of walkability, de-emphization of the car, a mix of housing types, and the community. The first principle of walkability is to emphasize the importance of a close knit community since this lead to public sidewalks that lead to local stores as well as schools and places of work. With this walkability came the de-emphasis of the car. To de-emphasize the car these new urbanist towns had parallel parking instead of parking lots and had hidden garages. The third principle of mix was to allow for different size and type of homes in the community. They would range from large single family homes to apartments, which were usually built above ground level businesses. The final principle is that of the community. They emphasize the importance of the community by making the houses close to each other so neighbors would interact more.
I definitely see new urbanism in my community. In my town there are sidewalks all over the center of my town as well as along all the roads that are near the schools. My town is also small enough that almost everything is within walking distance of each other. There is also a nice mix of houses in my town where there are many single family homes around my town as well as two family homes in certain areas where one family lives upstairs and one lives downstairs. Also, in our little business area in the center of our town, there are businesses on the street level but all the buildings are two to five floors which are apartment homes. the houses in my community are built close to each other and it does lead you to become close to your neighbors as just as new urbanism hopes. I have known my neighbors pretty well until recently when most of them have moved away in the past couple of years.
I feel that new urbanism is a good idea and i do agree with it. Since my community seems to be based on this concept I feel that since it has worked for me and my family it is a pretty good idea. When I was little I use to walk to school or ride my bike to school with my friends from neighborhood just like this idea promotes. The idea of trying to make a close-knit community is really a pretty smart idea because there are people that are shy or afraid to talk to other people in this world and with everyone being so close to each other it opens them up to make friends and have a good time with their neighbors and community.
I believe that in my town (Cedar Grove) can be categorized as a new urban area to an extent. From where I live (off rt. 23 by the foodtown) I can walk to everything in the center of town including the public library, bank, deli etc. Of course it depends on where you live in regards to the center of the town that can makes you belive you live in a new urban area. Consider how big/small a town is, such as Cedar Grove which I believe to be a relatively small town i think that new urbanism exists.
Source used http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm24.htm
According to http://www.newurbanism.org/ New Urbanism is "Giving people many choices for living an urban lifestyle in sustainable, convenient and enjoyable places, while providing the solutions to peak oil, global warming, and climate change". The site also states that there are 10 principles of New Urbanism which include; walkability (having everything within a 10 minute walk), connectivity (all infrastructure is connected), mixed use and diversity (range of businesses and types of people), mixed housing, quality architecture and design, traditional neighborhood design, increased density, smart transportation, sustainability, and quality of life.
I live in Manhattan so I can safely conclude that yes I do see evidence of this in my own community. Manhattan employs each and every one of those principles. The quality of life used to be much lower, but it has improved immensely as New York is constantly changing.
I do agree with the concept. The fact that anything I could possibly want is just a short walk away is something that I am grateful for in New York. Also, I enjoy the diversity of people, whom I have learned a great deal from. New York transportation is unmatched when it comes to convenience and I rely upon it so much that I feel lost when I am anywhere without the New York subway system. The transportation also goes along with connectivity. I believe that access to a wide array of businesses and service is extremely important. I have hundreds of choices about what I'd like to eat or do on a daily basis in Manhattan and I wouldn't trade it for anything. The concept of New Urbanism is definitely a positive and could do wonders for any neighborhood and its inhabitants.
"New Urbanism is an approach to designing cities, towns, and neighborhoods. A New Urbanist neighborhood resembles an old European village with homes and businesses clustered together. Instead of driving on highways, residents of New Urbanist neighborhoods can walk to shops, businesses, theaters, schools, parks, and other important services." This is the most complete and easy to understand definition of New Urbanism that I could find. (architecture.about.com) New Urbanism is also shows the progress in development of an area, making it more efficient and accessible. It is supposed to minimize the use of natural resources while still improving quality of life. It promotes a better lifestyle including public transportation rather than personal automobiles.
My community isn't too far from the central ideas of New Urbanism. I live in a suburban area not too far from the city and I agree with the concept and think it should be promoted more in my town. I like the classic nature and simplicity of New Urbanism. I feel it is very beneficial to a community and those that live in it. It utilizes and appreciates the environment while maintaining stability within the society.
According to the website, www.newurbanism.org, new urbanism is "Giving people many choices for living an urban lifestyle in sustainable, convenient and enjoyable places, while providing the solutions to peak oil, global warming, and climate change" To me, this means building more commercial buildings near homes so residents can just walk to the grocery store, clothing store, or anything else of the sort rather than driving which would pollute the air and use up gasoline, a natural resource. http://www.newurbannews.com/AboutNewUrbanism.html goes into detail about when this change occurred from being able to walk everywhere to having to drive everywhere.
In my town, Livingston, they have recently finished building a town center right across the street from my house. It includes houses, a 5 story condo, and stores all in one area. The stores include a convenience shop, an appliance store, a bank, a restaurant, a bakery, and a few other shops that I do not recall.
I think this is a good idea. I don’t know if it will work too well though. There is a great deal of competition for low prices and smaller shops usually do not beat others prices due to the lack of volume. Large chain stores sell a lot more and have more room to store extra items. The only thing I don’t like about this new urbanism idea is how there is always traffic in front of my house.
According to the State of New Jersey website, New Urbanism is a neighborhood design trend that incorporates neo-traditional concepts to promote function and livability. Researching into the definition further, it is a city design that is centered around an atmosphere which promotes more of a pedestrian-friendly environment, composed of shopping areas near homes which are easily accessible by walking, along with fostering a sense of community among the area's residents. This is common around the world, and I have experienced this in Europe (specifically Poland) and Australia (suburbs of Sydney). However, my town would not be an example of this because we have two major shopping areas in town which are not accessible to pedestrians who do not live in the area. The closest food store to me is about 20 minutes walking, and it is a supermarket, not a mom and pop grocery store which would be ideal in a new urban setting. I definately agree with the concept of New Urbanism as it promotes physical fitness, independence of motor vehicles which harm the environment, and promote personal relationships among residents.
Reference: http://www.state.nj.us/agriculture/sadc/tdr/faqs/definitions/
New Urbanism, according to the Transportation Demand Management (TDM) encyclopedia (http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm24.htm), is a movement that involves a kind of revolution that is taking place in cities all across the country. New Urbanism has aspects of change including a movement towards bringing communities closer together, decreasing the value placed on automotive travel, having a distinguished "activity center", close housing proximity to this center, diverse housing suitable to the differing needs of individual families, diverse merchant centers to suit different financial needs, and the creation of a closeness that is becoming more and more seldom seen in today's world.
There are a lot of examples, I believe, of New Urbanism aspects developing in my current community. I live in Rockaway Township New Jersey. Over the years I have seen the community get closer and promote interacting with each other's neighbors. A current center in my community is the Rockaway Mall. For many the mall is a center for shopping, social recreation, and a place to go to to spend free time. Community activities are also held at the mall. This includes concerts, award ceremonies, board meetings, and "shows" like car shows and boat shows. There is a lot of housing around the mall and it is in walking distance for a lot of people. Sidewalks are common all over the community and more are being put in all the time. Other public places exist such as various parks and lakes. The New Urbanism trend is continuing in my community and will probably continue to do so for many more decades.
I think New Urbanism is a creative way of dealing with many of the problems that develop in an Urban community. It handles transportation problems and class problems. Vehicle transportation is discouraged and walking encouraged which has many benefits of its own (it's healthier and promotes better awareness of surroundings and is better for the earth). I strongly agree with the concept and think it needs more support. Hopefully the coming years will bring more "New Urbanism" ideals to cities all around the country.
New urbanism is a set of guidelines that can be incorporated into the creation of a town. They were created to replace the sprawl design of the last fifty years. New urbanism focuses on enabling the inhabitants to walk to almost any place in the town. The design requires a town center that can be reached easily by all its citizens, elementary schools a close distance to each home, and a multitude of parks that are easily reached from any location.
My town of Lyndhurst does have some aspects of new urbanism. The town of Lyndhurst was established in 1917, so it is much older than the new urbanism movement. The movement does however take ideas from many different types of towns throughout history and therefore has some similarities with Lyndhurst. The town’s center which is located on Valley Brook Ave and Delafield Ave is home to a park which has recently been revitalized. This area is where many of the busses stop, and is also close to the train station. The entire town is only about one square mile so most of the town is within a five minute walk from the town center. The town has six grammar schools so most children are in walking distance.
I don’t really feel to strongly either for or against the ideals of new urbanism. I think that some of its ideas like roads ending in a “T” would cause more traffic than the traditional grid setup, and I don’t like the idea of pushing all the businesses to the outskirts of the town. I do however think that there should be parks in close proximity to the homes, and the parking being off the streets.
Source: http://www.newurbannews.com/AboutNewUrbanism.html
New Urbanism is a movement that began in the middle of the last decade it is a shift from a destructive society to a more environmental friendly one. It includes the study of green power. To some extent there is evidence of new urbanism but not for the reason of becoming environmentally friendly. People are commuting more in comparison to driving for economical reason. It has become financial unsettling to try and live in communities were driving is you main source of commuting. This increase in commuting is also highlighting the intricate networks of public transportation. Although it is unclear which came first since many cities already had complex systems of transportation available to the community. www.newurbanism.org
I learned about New Urbanism by viewing a news segment from CBS Sunday morning news: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRrl7LwNUtw
The main reason for this design is for communiates to become more effiecent and more oragnized. The layout of an example of a community that follows a new ubranist suit is as follows; 1/3 are multiple family homes, 1/3 are condominiums, and a 1/3 are houses with small yards. The idea is to move away from the suburban sprawl. According to the news broadcast "Suburbia" is not living up to the promises it holds. There are many McMansions that take up a lot of space and spread out land. The situation is very cold and the traffic is unbearable to most - according to the news report. Suburbia is not living up to the American dream and some are claiming that New Urbanism can fix those concerns.
New Urbanism allows a more structured and planned layout. New urbanism moves away from the car centered transportation and moves towards a better transportation system that is heavlity reliant on cars. This also creates more of a sense of community.
In my mind, the American dream is an individual goal in which a family wishes to attain the single family home, huge yard, and white picket fence. I think that New Urbanism is a great idea - but that it will remain as an idea. Individuals would much rather have their own "yards" and "land" even if it is miles away from the huge Wal Mart that serves as their primary grocery store. Quite frankly, this country resists change and New Urbanism would be the ultimate change - Americans would much rather be miserable sitting in two hours of traffic waiting to get to their homes in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a white picket fence.
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