CNU Salons

Proteus - New Urbanism Ideas From and For the Middle East

Submitted by wajdighoussoub on Wed, 06/19/2013 - 8:51am

What could possibly have taken me to Salt Lake City (SLC) in Utah, United States? Shock put to rest: it was the 21st Congress for New Urbanism (CNU 21), which was held there from May 28th till June 1st. Dozens of experts in and even just supporters (like yours truly) of New Urbanism gathered in such a relatively isolated place (not too far from the fun Las Vegas) to attend sessions, “mingle” and, most importantly, take stock of the record and future hopes of CNU the organization.

Rainwater-in-Context: An Interview with Paul Crabtree and Lisa Nisenson

Submitted by Erika Strauss on Mon, 06/17/2013 - 10:51am

CNU’s Erika Strauss recently interviewed Paul Crabtree and Lisa Nisenson, leaders of CNU’s Rainwater-in-Context Initiative, to catch up after CNU21 and hear what they have to say about the recent developments in the delayed EPA stormwater regulations.

Erika Strauss (ES): I know you’ve been working with the EPA to develop new stormwater regulations, which have been further delayed. What is the status?

Neighborhood Character vs. Diversity

Submitted by MLewyn on Sun, 06/16/2013 - 10:03am

The conventional zoning wisdom is that all structures in a neighborhood should have the same density, in order to preserve "neighborhood character." So even in mixed-use urban areas, this sort of zoning leads to a kind of monoculture: high-rises attract high-rises, low-rises attract low-rises.

A (Possible, Partial) Myth About Suburban Poverty

Submitted by MLewyn on Fri, 06/14/2013 - 9:45am

A recent blog post commenting on the growth of suburban poverty has the headline: "As Cities Prosper, Poor Move to Suburbs." The headline seems to imply a simple story: poor people priced out of the city are moving to suburbs. (In fairness, the story itself is much less simplistic). But it seems to me that there are a variety of other possible explanations for the growth in suburban poverty: