Charter of The New Urbanism (Paperback)

by Congress for the New Urbanism (Author) "The last half-century has seen the rise of a social and commercial geography that fuses town, city, and suburb into a new but unresolved order-the..." (more)
Key Phrases: architectural codes, civic buildings, illustration courtesy, New Urbanism, New Urbanist, San Francisco (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
An important work that defines the tenets of New Urbanism, this book serves as the group's manifesto...the text is clear and seductive... -- Architectural Record, Clifford A. Pearson and John E. Czarnecki, September, 2000

Review
Excerpts from Architectural Record Review, September, 2000 By Clifford A. Pearson and John El Czarnecki "An important work that defines the tenets of New Urbanism, this book serves as the group's manifesto. The charter illustrates the 27 principles of New Urbanism, from the scale of regions to neighborhoods and buildings, and pairs each with an essay by a different author. Now followers of the movement can use the charter to define their work and detractors can refer to it when presenting their side of the debate. … Graphically pleasing, the book reads well … When defining the problems of today's development patterns, the text is clear and seductive. … The test of the Charter of New Urbanism will be its timeless quality. …" (Architectural Record )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional; 1 edition (November 22, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071355537
• ISBN-13: 978-0071355537
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 9.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #744,506 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical Resource on New Urbanism, April 21, 2000

By	Ed Brenegar (Asheville/ Hendersonville, N.C. USA) - See all my reviews

The Charter of the New Urbanism is an important resource for anyone concerned with the future of the places where they live, work and play. The book illustrates the principles of the Charter through essays written by founders of the New Urbanist movement. This movement in architecture and town planning looks beyond the aesthetics of buildings to the role that they have in human community. The Charter book is an excellent resource for understanding the guiding principles of this important movement in restoring cities and suburban communities to more humane quality of life.

I use the book on a weekly basis to expand my understanding of the issues that confront my community. As a Op-Ed columnist for my local newspaper, the Charter book is a resource for understanding how New Urbanist thinkers address specific community building issues. For example: How the form and structure of neighborhoods contribute to the safety of children. How the placement of streets can reduce the amount of time and length of travel that families must make each day. How important the location and design of public squares, green spaces and civic buildings is to enhancing citizen involvement.

The Charter book is an important resource for anyone who shares a concern for the development and welfare of their community. Use it to learn to think about what's missing in your neighborhood. Use it to learn how to address local planning boards or commissions. Use it to plan for the location and social setting for a new residence, office or retail store. The Charter book will help you to gain an understanding of New Urbanism, which is becoming the most significant and comprehensive movement for the reform of cities and suburbs in the past half century. Anyone concerned with the future of their community should have The Charter of New Urbanism on their short list of must read books this year.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charter of the New Urbanism, July 8, 2000

By	Lucy M. Rowland, MS, MLS (Athens, GA) - See all my reviews

Charter of the New Urbanism should be required reading for every planning commissioner, county commissioner, and anyone else involved in the process of designing communities. The book is a series of 27 essays by prominent new urbanists who explain in detail, copiously illustrated by pertinent photographs and drawings, the principles of the Charter for the Congress for the New Urbanism. The book logically moves through how communities are designed and constructed within levels: The Region (metropolis, city and town; The Neighborhood, district, and corridor; and The Block, street, and building. There are many examples of both old (Alexandria, VA) and new (Seaside, FL) towns that utilize the principles which create beautiful, distinctive, and walkable places that encourage leaving the car in the driveway. The authors thoughtfully and thoroughly describe how, using time tested design, the organization of new communities and infill within old ones can facilitate social interaction by integrating rather than separating land uses. They do so persuasively and without dumbing down the material--it's really quite elegantly written, especially considering that there are 35 contributors in all. There is a selective bibliography with the major recent book titles and classics, such as Jane Jacobs' Death and Life of Great American Cities, for further reading. An index is unfortunately not included, although I would consider this a minor omission, since each chapter/essay is annotated and reasonably short. In addition to local government officials, this book is highly recommended to architects, landscape architects, designers, professional planners, developers, bankers, real estate professionals, and local business leaders. It also should be included as required reading for students in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, and urban planning. It will become a classic.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You must read this book!!, August 24, 2000

By	Dan Zack (Fresno, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

The Charter of the New Urbanism is an absolutely fantastic book. It should be required reading for all planners, architects, public officials, engineers, and citizen activists. It brings together in one book essays from some of today's brightest minds. Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Peter Calthorpe, Walter Kulash, John Norquist and others describe the Congress for the New Urbanism's (CNU) positions on many important issues, such and traffic congestion, regional planning, environmental issues, affordable housing, civic art, and of course, curbing urban sprawl. New Urbanism is a highly organized and diverse branch of the "Smart Growth" family tree. They have brought a broad range of people together in forming this book, which shows that the problems of sprawl, environmental degregation, inner city decay, and increasing separation by race and income are "one interrelated community-building challenge."