New Urbanisms: From Neo-Traditional Neighbourhoods to New Regionalism - Theme Cities: Solutions for Urban Problems - page 20

munity and social capital is lacking in the contemporary suburb. Some go even
further to suggest that the contemporary suburb means the end of authentic civic
life (Duaney and Plater-Zyberk 1992 ). So in such suburbs, private space is cel-
ebrated, while public space is often all but abandoned. Moreover, walkability is
minimal, as pedestrian movement is secondary to automobile travel. Neighbouring
and casual social interaction is limited, reducing the development of social capital,
and all are discouraged by the physical structure of the community. Hence the desire
to counteract the supposed demise of community in suburban developments is at the
very heart of the TND variant of new urbanism. Indeed, as Talen ( 1999 , p. 1363) has
pointed out, the overarching social doctrine behind NU is the creation of a sense of
community. So New Urbanists have argued that new designs—if done right—can
address this issue and create more socially diverse neighbourhoods.

2﻽3 Principles of the New Urbanism

Table 2.1 lists the basic principles of the New Urbanism Charter. It specifies a
number of different scales at which NU principles need to be implemented, from
regional setting to streets and buildings, making it clear that NU is not simply con-
cerned with small-scale neighbourhood features and community, although this is

Table 2.1 Charter of the New Urbanism. (Source: adapted from http://www.cnu.org/charter)

A. The region: metropolis. city, and town
(1) Metropolitan regions are finite places with geographic boundaries derived from topography,
watersheds, coastlines, farmlands, regional parks, and river basins. The metropolis is made of
multiple centers that are cities, towns, and villages, each with its own identifiable center and
edges
(2) The metropolitan region is a fundamental economic unit of the contemporary world. Gov-
ernmental cooperation, public policy, physical planning, and economic strategies must reflect
this new reality
(3) The metropolis has a necessary and fragile relationship to its agrarian hinterland and natural
landscapes. The relationship is environmental, economic, and cultural. Farmland and nature are
as important to the metropolis as the garden is to the house
(4) Development patterns should not blur or eradicate the edges of the metropolis. Infill devel-
opment within existing urban areas conserves environmental resources, economic investment,
and social fabric, while reclaiming marginal and abandoned areas. Metropolitan regions should
develop strategies to encourage such infill development over peripheral expansion
(5) Where appropriate, new development contiguous to urban boundaries should be organized
as neighborhoods and districts, and be integrated with the existing urban pattern. Noncontigu-
ous development should be organized as towns and villages with their own urban edges, and
planned for a jobs/housing balance, not as bedroom suburbs
(6) The development and redevelopment of towns and cities should respect historical patterns,
precedents, and boundaries
(7) Cities and towns should bring into proximity a broad spectrum of public and private uses
to support a regional economy that benefits people of all incomes. Affordable housing should
be distributed throughout the region to match job opportunities and to avoid concentrations of
poverty