c h a rt er
of the new urbanism
r e g i o n | n e i g h b o r h o o d, d i s t r i c t, a n d c o r r i d o r | b l o c k, s t r e e t, a n d b u i l d i n g
cong re s s f or th e new urban i sm
t h e c h a r t e r o f t h e n e w u r b a n i s m as signed by 266 attendees of the
fourth Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU IV), Charleston, South Carolina, 1996.
charter
of th e new ur ban i sm
cong re s s f or th e new ur ban i sm
This publication was made possible, in
part,
by a grant from the Fannie Mae
Foundation.
Copyright © 1999 Congress for the New Urbanism.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced without permission.
Library of Congress Catalog Number
International Standard Book Number
99-0000
99-0000
Published by McGraw-Hill, Inc.
d e s i g n : Wolfe Design, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
p r i n t i n g : need more information.
charter
of th e new ur ban i sm
Foreword by
douglas farr
john o. norquist
Commentary by
shelley r. poticha
r ay g i n d r o z
myron orfield
harv e y gan t t
Essays by
ken greenberg
e l i zab e t h p lat e r - z y b e r k
tony hiss
randal l are nd t
j ac k y g r i m s h aw
st e fan o s p o ly z o i d e s
richard e. killingsworth
g. b. arrington
dou g las ke l bau g h
he nry r. richmond
g ianni longo
j o nat han bar n e t t
wa l t e r k u l a s h
mark m. schimme nti
tom schmid
stephanie bothwell
bill lennertz
dan i e l s olomon
Afterword by
pete r calth orpe
william lie be rman
marc a. weiss
pete r calth orpe
t h o mas j. c o m i t ta
we ndy morri s
r o b e r t d. ya r o
Postscript by
victor dove r
elizabeth moule
r o b e r t dav i s
an d r e s duan y
Edited by
m i c ha e l l e c c e s e an d kat h l e e n m cc o r m i c k
cong re s s f or th e new ur ban i sm
cong re s s
f or
the
new
urbani sm
c hart e r o f t h e
n e w u r b an i s m
Preamble
t h e c o n g r e s s f o r t h e n e w u r b a n i s m views
disinvestment in central cities, the spread of placeless sprawl, increasing
separation by race and income, environmental deterioration, loss
of agricultural lands and wilderness, and the erosion of society’s built
heritage as one interrelated community-building challenge.
We stand for the restoration of existing urban centers and towns
within coherent metropolitan regions, the reconfiguration of sprawling
suburbs into communities of real neighborhoods and diverse districts,
the conservation of natural environments, and the preservation of
our built legacy.
We recognize that physical solutions by themselves will not solve
social and economic problems, but neither can economic vitality,
community stability, and environmental health be sustained without
a coherent and supportive physical framework.
We advocate the restructuring of public policy and development
v
vi
charte r
of
the
new
urbani sm
practices to support the following principles: neighborhoods should
be diverse in use and population; communities should be designed for
the pedestrian and transit as well as the car; cities and towns should
be shaped by physically defined and universally accessible public spaces
and community institutions; urban places should be framed by architecture and landscape design that celebrate local history, climate, ecology,
and building practice.
We represent a broad-based citizenry, composed of public and
private sector leaders, community activists, and multidisciplinary
professionals. We are committed to reestablishing the relationship
between the art of building and the making of community, through
citizen-based participatory planning and design.
We dedicate ourselves to reclaiming our homes, blocks, streets,
parks, neighborhoods, districts, towns, cities, regions, and environment.
cong re s s
f or
the
new
urbani sm
preamble to the charte r
v
Foreword
1
shelley r. poticha
What’s New About the New Urbanism?
5
j o nat han bar n e t t
principles of the charter
t h e r e g i o n : m e t r o p o l i s, c i t y , a n d t o w n
13
One
The metropolitan region is a fundamental economic unit of the contemporary
15
world. Governmental cooperation, public policy, physical planning, and economic
strategies must reflect this new reality.
e s s ay b y p e t e r c a l t h o r p e
Two
Metropolitan regions are finite places with geographic boundaries derived from
23
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.
e s s ay b y r o b e r t d . ya r o
Three
The metropolis has a necessary and fragile relationship to its agrarian hinterland
29
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.
e s s ay b y r a n d a l l a r e n d t
Four
Development patterns should not blur or eradicate the edges of the metropolis.
35
Infill development within existing 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.
e s s ay b y j a c k y g r i m s h aw
w i t h c o m m e n tary b y harv e y gan t t
40
Contents
conte nts
Five
Where appropriate, new development contiguous to urban boundaries should
43
be organized as neighborhoods and districts, and be integrated with the existing
urban pattern. Noncontiguous development should be organized as towns and
villages with their own urban edges, and planned for a jobs/housing balance,
not as bedroom suburbs.
e s s ay b y w e n d y m o r r i s
Six
The development and redevelopment of towns and cities should respect historical
49
patterns, precedents, and boundaries.
e s s ay b y s t e p h a n i e b o t h w e l l
Seven
Cities and towns should bring into proximity a broad spectrum of public and
53
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.
e s s ay b y h e n r y r . r i c h m o n d
Eight
The physical organization of the region should be supported by a framework of
59
transportation alternatives. Transit, pedestrian, and bicycle systems should maximize
access and mobility throughout the region while reducing dependence on
the automobile.
e s s ay b y g . b. a r r i n g t o n
64
w i t h c o m m e n tary b y r i c har d e. k i l l i n g swo rt h an d to m sc h m i d
Nine
Revenues and resources can be shared more cooperatively among the municipalities
and centers within regions to avoid destructive competition for tax base and to
promote rational coordination of transportation, recreation, public services, housing,
and community institutions.
e s s ay b y m y r o n o r f i e l d
65
cong re s s
f or
the
new
urbani sm
n e i g h b o r h o o d, d i s t r i c t, a n d c o r r i d o r
71
Ten
The neighborhood, the district, and the corridor are the essential elements of
73
development and redevelopment in the metropolis. They form identifiable areas that
encourage citizens to take responsibility for their maintenance and evolution.
e s s ay b y j o n at h a n b a r n e t t
Eleven
Neighborhoods should be compact, pedestrian-friendly, and mixed-use. Districts
79
generally emphasize a special single use, and should follow the principles of neighborhood design when possible. Corridors are regional connectors of neighborhoods
and districts; they range from boulevards and rail lines to rivers and parkways.
e s s ay b y e l i z a b e t h p l at e r - z y b e r k
Twelve
Many activities of daily living should occur within walking distance, allowing
83
independence to those who do not drive, especially the elderly and the young.
Interconnected networks of streets should be designed to encourage walking,
reduce the number and length of automobile trips, and conserve energy.
e s s ay b y wa l t e r k u l a s h
Thirteen
Within neighborhoods, a broad range of housing types and price levels can bring
89
people of diverse ages, races, and incomes into daily interaction, strengthening the
personal and civic bonds essential to an authentic community.
e s s ay b y m a r c a . w e i s s
Fourteen
Transit corridors, when properly planned and coordinated, can help organize
97
metropolitan structure and revitalize urban centers. In contrast, highway corridors
should not displace investment from existing centers.
e s s ay b y j o h n o . n o r q u i s t
Fifteen
Appropriate building densities and land uses should be within walking distance of
101
conte nts
transit stops, permitting public transit to become a viable alternative to the automobile.
e s s ay b y w i l l i a m l i e b e r m a n
Sixteen
Concentrations of civic, institutional, and commercial activity should be embedded
105
in neighborhoods and districts, not isolated in remote, single-use complexes.
Schools should be sized and located to enable children to walk or bicycle to them.
e s s ay b y e l i z a b e t h m o u l e
Seventeen
The economic health and harmonious evolution of neighborhoods, districts,
109
and corridors can be improved through graphic urban design codes that serve
as predictable guides for change.
e s s ay b y b i l l l e n n e r t z
Eighteen
A range of parks, from tot lots and village greens to ballfields and community
113
gardens, should be distributed within neighborhoods. Conservation areas and open
lands should be used to define and connect different neighborhoods and districts.
e s s ay b y t h o m a s j. c o m i t ta
b l o c k, s t r e e t , a n d b u i l d i n g
121
Nineteen
A primary task of all urban architecture and landscape design is the physical
123
definition of streets and public spaces as places of shared use.
e s s ay b y d a n i e l s o l o m o n
Twenty
Individual architectural projects should be seamlessly linked to their surroundings.
127
This issue transcends style.
e s s ay b y s t e f a n o s p o ly z o i d e s
Twenty one
The revitalization of urban places depends on safety and security. The design of
133
streets and buildings should reinforce safe environments, but not at the expense
of accessibility and openness.
e s s ay b y r ay g i n d r o z
w i t h c o m m e n tary b y to n y h i s s
138
Twenty two
In the contemporary metropolis, development must adequately accommodate
automobiles. It should do so in ways that respect the pedestrian and the form
141
cong re s s
f or
the
new
urbani sm
of public space.
e s s ay b y d o u g l a s f a r r
Twenty three
Streets and squares should be safe, comfortable, and interesting to the pedestrian.
147
Properly configured, they encourage walking and enable neighbors to know each
other and protect their communities.
e s s ay b y v i c t o r d o v e r
w i t h c o m m e n tary b y g i an n i lo n g o
152
Twenty four
Architecture and landscape design should grow from local climate, topography,
155
history, and building practice.
e s s ay b y d o u g l a s k e l b au g h
Twenty five
Civic buildings and public gathering places require important sites to reinforce
161
community identity and the culture of democracy. They deserve distinctive
form, because their role is different from that of other buildings and places that
constitute the fabric of the city.
e s s ay b y a n d r e s d ua n y
Twenty six
All buildings should provide their inhabitants with a clear sense of location, weather,
169
and time. Natural methods of heating and cooling can be more resource-efficient
than mechanical systems.
e s s ay b y m a r k m . s c h i m m e n t i
Twenty seven
Preservation and renewal of historic buildings, districts, and landscapes affirm the
173
continuity and evolution of urban society.
e s s ay b y k e n g r e e n b e r g
Afterword
177
pete r calth orpe
Postscript
181
r o b e r t dav i s
Editors’ Notes
185
Credits
186
Bibliography
191