New Urbanism Strategies:

New Urbanism strategies can be applied to projects at the full range of scales: The Region: the metropolis, the city and town; The neighborhood, the district and the corridor; and The block, the street, and the building.

1. Walkability
  • Most things within a 10-minute walk of home and work;
  • Pedestrian friendly street design (buildings close to street; porches, windows & doors; tree-lined streets; on street parking; hidden parking lots; garages in rear lane; narrow, slow speed streets); and
  • Pedestrian streets free of cars in special cases.
2. Connectivity
  • Interconnected street grid network disperses traffic & eases walking;
  • A hierarchy of narrow streets, boulevards, and alleys; and
  • High quality pedestrian network and public realm makes walking pleasurable.
3. Mixed-Use & Diversity
  • A mix of shops, offices, apartments, and homes on site. Mixed-use within neighborhoods, within blocks, and within buildings; and
  • Diversity of people - of ages, income levels, cultures, and races.
4. Mixed Housing
  • A range of types, sizes and prices in closer proximity
5. Quality Architecture & Urban Design
  • Emphasis on beauty, aesthetics, human comfort, and creating a sense of place;
  • Special placement of civic uses and sites within community; and
  • Human scale architecture & beautiful surroundings nourish the human spirit.
6. Traditional Neighborhood Structure
  • Discernible center and edge;
  • Public space at center;
  • Importance of quality public realm; public open space designed as civic art;
  • Contains a range of uses and densities within 10-minute walk; and
  • Transect planning: Highest densities at town center; progressively less dense towards the edge.
7. Increased Density
  • More buildings, residences, shops, and services closer together for ease of walking, to enable a more efficient use of services and resources, and to create a more convenient, enjoyable place to live; and
  • New Urbanism design principles are applied at the full range of densities from small towns, to large cities.
8. Smart Transportation
  • A network of high-quality trains connecting cities, towns, and neighborhoods together; and
  • Pedestrian-friendly design that encourages a greater use of bicycles, rollerblades, scooters, and walking as daily transportation.
9. Sustainability
  • Minimal environmental impact of development and its operations;
  • Eco-friendly technologies, respect for ecology and value of natural systems;
  • Energy efficiency;
  • Less use of finite fuels;
  • More local production; and
  • More walking, less driving.
10. Quality of Life
  • Taken together these add up to a high quality of life well worth living, and create places that enrich, uplift, and inspire the human spirit.
 
Source: NewUrbanism.org
For more information see: “The Charter of the New Urbanism”