New Urbanism abroad
Chapter 24 of the New Urbanism Best Practices Guide
Abstract: Born in the US, New Urbanism has expanded into a global movement. This chapter looks at how New Urbanism has been implemented in other countries. Because of the stronger role of government overseas, frequently the work there is done at a larger scale, sometimes encompassing an entire downtown, city, or region. In some countries, governments require new developments to accommodate substantial employment and to house a sizable proportion of low- and moderate-income residents.
Among the developments discussed are Poundbury, Prince Charles’s extension of the old town of Dorchester, England. Poundbury’s planner, Leon Krier, says town planning must be less about planning for specific uses than about providing buildings both large and small, for long-term flexibility. In Germany, Harald Kegler’s Laboratory for Regional Planning, in Wittenberg, has focused on goals such as revitalizing old industrial areas. Traditional city-making remains alive in countries such as France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, and Sweden.
Canada has pursued an urban agenda through private ventures, through Canada Lands Company, which develops surplus federally owned property, and through government planning, most notably in Vancouver, British Columbia; Calgary, Alberta; and Toronto, Ontario. Downtown Vancouver has combined an emphasis on appealing, walkable streets with a modernist affinity for bold, non-frilly architecture, including slim towers on podiums. Canadians has shown how commercial corridors outside a city center can gradually be made denser — with housing and shops.
This chapter tells about Australia’s new urban projects, some of which seem better integrated into their surroundings than is true of North American greenfield development. Also discussed are developments in Asia, such as the ambitious Ghonsoli Neighborhood plan near Mumbai, India, where US-based designers laid a finer grain of streets and blocks over what had been a plan made up of enormous superblocks.
