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    Why Did We Stop Walking and How Do We Start Again? 

    Published on 06 Jun 2012 8:00 AM
    Categories:
    1. Transportation
    2. Urban Design
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    by Erin Chantry

    s you may know, the CNU20 conference was organized around tracks, which allowed you to focus on your particular interest and how it relates to New Urbanism. I spent most of my time on the "Mobility and Walkable City" track since that is where my concentration lies. There is no doubt that the best breakout session of this track was "Why Did We Stop Walking & How Do We Start Again? The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City" presented by Eric Dumbaugh, Richard Hall, and Peter Norton. ...
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    Functional Classification to Realizing Complete Streets for Everyone 

    Published on 04 Jun 2012 8:00 AM
    Categories:
    1. Transportation
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    by Erin Chantry

    "Who the heck invited the DOT?"

    This was John Moore's question to the audience this past week at CNU 20 during the presentation he entitled, "Not Your Grandfather's DOT," as part of the Balanced Roads to Transit-Oriented Development session. His question to the audience was humorous because traffic engineers have gained the reputation in the past as being insensitive and unaware to the many street design qualities required by the CNU Charter and the Complete Streets movement. Moore from District 5 of the Florida Department of Transportation wasn't the only one creating buzz about how the DOT is moving forward to complete streets. Billy Hattaway, the Secretary of District 1, was also present at CNU20, speaking about the Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) Chapter in the Roadway Design Green Book that goes live today. Hattaway's continual presence at CNU and Moore's presentation show that there is a shift that is beginning to occur within the transportation engineering community. ...
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    Space, the First but Not Final Frontier: Analyzing Space, Uses, and Transportation 

    Published on 18 May 2012 8:00 AM
    Categories:
    1. Urban Design
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    by Erin Chantry

    When I chose this breakout session, I didn't really fully understand the title, but I was confident that with "space" and "transportation," it had to be up my alley. It turned out to be a presentation of four of the latest and greatest research papers conducted in the New Urbanism field. As they were discussed, it was a little challenging to string them together with one theme, but when the question and answer session started, it became very clear to me very quickly. This was a discussion on connectivity—more specifically, how connectivity was dependent on the clear distinction between public and private space. ...
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    Looking Forward: New Urbanism and the New World 

    Published on 14 May 2012 8:00 AM
    Categories:
    1. Urban Design
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    by Erin Chantry

    This morning when I walked into the West Palm Beach convention center, I was very excited to be able to meet and brainstorm with the thinkers at the forefront of my profession, or at least the people that share in the same urban design theology. I had heard rumblings about the culture of the Congress of New Urbanism and certainly knew that the founders of the movement were opinionated and outspoken. I have always admired this about them and was interested to see the vibe that the conference would have. The attraction and numbers of attendees have way outgrown the close dinner group that began New Urbanism more than 20 years ago, but the heavy hitters like Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Ellen Dunham-Jones, and John Norquist, to name a few, no doubt still have a big hand in the direction and focus of the movement. With the combination of professionals who have the reputation for being devotees to their beliefs and fresh new blood like me, anything was possible. ...
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    Image is Everything for the Modern City 

    Published on 30 Jan 2012 8:00 AM
    Categories:
    1. Urban Design
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    Have we lost our connection with the city? Urban design principles established some 50 years ago are revisited and are even appreciated by a four year old.

    By Eli Gescheit

    In 1960 Kevin Lynch released his magnum opus, “The Image of the City”. It used case studies of three American cities, Boston, New Jersey and Los Angeles, to establish innovative urban design principles still being used in 2012.

    The study involved deploying researchers to these cities to assess how they recognised various physical city features. These features were mapped out and categorised into five key elements, and are considered the building blocks for cities, namely; path, edge, node, district and landmark. The map above is an example of the research. ...
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