New Urbanism

New Urbanism is a major movement in planning and architecture that started in the 1980s to revitalize failing and decaying inner city areas and change the concept of how good a city can be.  It is one of the most influential movements in sustainable neighbourhoods and cities in North America and offers a wide range of practical tools and perspectives.

• The Congress for New Urbanism – The CNU are the leading group in the New Urbanism movement and this site offers a wealth of information on it. http://www.cnu.org/

• Better Cities and Towns – this is the site of a publishing organization that is focused on New Urbanism and related topics and has a large blog with many contributors.  http://bettercities.net/about-us

• Kaid Benfield’s blog – Kaid Benfield works with the NRDC and his blog includes a lot of thoughtful insights into New Urbanism and sustainable cities.  http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/kbenfield/

• Duany Plater Zyberk (DPZ) – This is the home site of the architectural firm that led the rise of New Urbanism, Neo-Traditional Neighbourhoods and more recently Agricultural and Agrarian Urbanism as well as other movements. http://www.dpz.com/