Exploring a New Urbanism

Cities around the world are working to build more livable environments, better-quality public spaces, more resilient and sustainable urban economies, lower resource impacts, greater social equity, and other goals of a “new urban agenda.” In this process, the American movement advanced by the Congress for the New Urbanism has been unquestionably influential, if sometimes controversial. This volume presents a distillation of key essays by CNU proponents in their own words, as well as perspectives from allied thinkers and other outside observers. The goal is not only to examine the specific American organization and its ideas, but also the broader movement toward “a new urbanism” by whatever name. It reflects the work of Peter Elmlund and the Ax:son Johnson Foundation (and their Future of Places partnership with UN-Habitat and others). Over two decades, their Stockholm-based Urban/City Research programme has sought to promote a more in-depth critical examination of the important issues raised by this “new urbanist discourse.”