Ryan Forst's blog

Over the past few years, Max Wlodarczak has fostered a deep interest in good city design and its impacts. Therefore, when a high school friend told him about Students for the New Urbanism (SNU), it only made sense to start his own group. The Congress for the New Urbanism is proud to report that Wlodarczak has succeeded, and the Appalachian State University SNU chapter has been officially added to our ever-growing list of recognized student groups.

Shane Pace sought out leadership opportunities at the University of Texas at Arlington (UT-A), and he found one by starting a Students for the New Urbanism (SNU) group. We, at the Congress for the New Urbanism, congratulate Shane and the UT-A SNU group on their recent formal recognition! What follows is a retrospect on how our newest student group came to be through networking.

Since 2010, CNU’s Rainwater-in-context initiative has worked with all levels of government and other key rainwater players to encourage the formation of best management practices, LEED-ND rainwater codes, and EPA regulations that take into account watershed level planning.  Engineer, planner, CNU member and rainwater expert Paul Crabtree has developed a webinar that helps planners and others better understand watershed restoration. The webinar will help you:   


           
• Learn why watershed analysis should be done prior to establishing or revising rainwater regulations.

Pacific Northwest sustainability think tank Sightline Institute’s Programs Director and blogger Clark Williams-Derry evaluated 2010 Census data and Total Vehicle Miles (TVM) data to show his region’s car usage is leveling off despite the traffic engineer led push for increased highway capacity. In short, Williams-Derry research contributes to the ever-growing list of work that point to the average American driving less.

Great things are happening here at the Congress for the New Urbanism! Last week this salon series profiled the recently established Students for the New Urbanism (SNU) University of North Carolina group. Well, this week we have even more good news to share with you readers: Arizona State University (ASU) has officially formed a SNU group too! In this post, student founder Maggie Soffel and group advisor Aaron Kimberlin share some thoughts with us about the group’s recent formation, its purpose, and its future.

After spending his childhood in an alienating homogeneous suburb, Evan Comen enrolled at the University of North Carolina. It is here that he realized that the “life-changing experience” that so many American universities promote stems from students sharing a communal space. He wondered why so many Americans must wait until college to experience the concept of community. To that end, he sought a tangible way to fix the problem. His solution is the Students for the New Urbanism (SNU). This salon post will describe how and why Evan started a SNU group at the University of North Carolina.

STUDENT LEADER CHRONICLES profiles how a Students for the New Urbanism membership enhances leadership skills.

The below post is a Student Leader Chronicles post on leadership and Students for the New Urbanism courtesy of CNU Program Intern Ryan Forst.

This post is part of a new series on the CNU Salons, STUDENT LEADER CHRONICLES. This series profiles how a Students for the New Urbanism membership enhances leadership skills.

The below post is a Student Leader Chronicles post on leadership and Students for the New Urbanism courtesy of CNU Program Intern Ryan Forst.

This post is part of a new series on the CNU Salons, CITY SPOTLIGHT. City Spotlight shines a light on the latest news, developments and initiatives occurring in cities and towns where CNU members live and work.

The below post is a City Spotlight on a project in the suburban Chicago town of Orland Park, IL and comes courtesy of CNU Program Intern Ryan Forst.

This post is part of a new series on the CNU Salons, STUDENT LEADER CHRONICLES. This series profiles how a Students for the New Urbanism membership enhances leadership skills.

The below post is a Student Leader Chronicles post on leadership and Students for the New Urbanism courtesy of CNU Program Intern Ryan Forst.