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CNU 23DALLAS/FORT WORTH 4/29-5/2/2015»»» 
Resources: Publications, Reports, & Documents
LEED-ND Report on Public Health and the Built Environment
Tags for this publication:A new resource comprehensively summarizes the state of the practice on the relationship between public health and the built environment. The report was prepared for the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to assist with the preparation of a rating system for neighborhoods called LEED-ND (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood Development). Public health impacts is one of several factors that the LEED-ND Core Committee is taking into consideration in the development of LEED-ND, with reduction of environmental impacts being the primary focus of the rating system. The report was made possible with support from the U.S. EPA and the Centers for Disease Control.
Problem Statement
In recent years, we have seen an alarming trend as increased obesity has become widespread among American citizens. The percentage of Americans who are overweight has risen from 47 percent in 1980 to 64 percent in 2000. The incidence of diabetes has also increased over time. In 2005, 20.8 million people, or 7 percent of the population, suffered from diabetes, with particular impacts on some certain demographic groups, such as people over 60 years old, blacks, and Hispanic/Latino Americans. More and more children are now considered overweight and the proportion of Americans who meet the minimum physical activity requirements guidelines has also decreased over time. Lack of physical activity and being overweight is are positively correlated with a plethora of health problems, including higher risks of cancer, heart disease, stroke high blood pressure, and arthritis.
Objectives
The report focuses on five public health topics – respiratory and cardiovascular health, fatal and non-fatal injuries, physical activity, social capital and mental health. In addition, the report looks at the impact of each of these five areas on special populations, including children, the elderly, and minorities. Finally, the report pulls all of the research together and presents a comprehensive picture of the elements of the built environment that have the greatest positive impact on these public health outcomes. To our knowledge, this is the first report that not only summarizes the impact of the built environment on public health topics but also discusses how this information can be translated into positive changes to the built environment.
Date:
May 2006 »
Les Principes du Nouvel Urbanisme
Tags for this publication:Charter of the New Urbanism, translated into French (Français)
Date:
1/1/1999 »
Light Imprint Urbanism
Tags for this publication:Light Imprint is a comprehensive strategy aiming to create urban forms that lie lightly on the land. It coordinates sustainable engineering practices and New Urbanism techniques, thereby offering different solutions for different transect zones. LI, as a New Urban approach, integrates urban and engineering practices offering a framework for regional, neighborhood, and block scale development. Economic growth is ensured while preserving natural resources. Recent studies show LI's focus on natural systems and environmental efficiency without compromising design priorities. Community connectivity and a superior public realm are the result. Using sustainable engineering practices and LI urbanism, water quality in the watershed is ensured. By preventing disruption and damage in urban and suburban areas, LI precludes biodiversity loss and ecosystem changes. You can access the paper by clicking here
Malls into Mainstreets
Tags for this publication:An in-depth guide to transforming dead malls into communities.
Date:
2005 »
Marcy McInelly: Oregon Transportation Summit 2009
Tags for this publication:Marcy McInelly, chair of CNU's Project for Transportation Reform, spoke at the Oregon Transportation Summit in Portland, Ore., on Sept. 11, 2009. Her presentation, which highlighted the strong links between street design and safety, and touted both the CNU/ITE manual, Context Sensitive Solutions in Designing Major Urban Thoroughfares for Walkable Communities, and CNU's Emergency Response & Street Design Initiative, can be downloaded below.
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Mechanism Design Theory and Sustainable Urban Form: A Proposed Priority for Collaborative Research
Tags for this publication:This paper focuses on the area of economic science known as mechanism Design Theory. It has been noted that this field holds promise for more sustainable forms of economic process, dealing with such urgent topics as climate change and resource depletion. Herein this paper considers the implications this field holds for the development of more efficient, higher-quality, more ecologically sustainable forms of urban settlement. To develop this potential, it will be important to pursue new collaborative forms of research between economists, urban planners and other disciplines. To view the academic paper submission, click here
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Mississippi Renewal Forum: Governor's Commission Final Report
Tags for this publication:The 178-page report submitted to Governor Haley Barbour incorporates much of the work executed by the Mississippi Renewal Forum. Published December 31, 2005.
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Mississippi Renewal Forum: Pre-Event Paper
Tags for this publication:A tabloid primer with a wealth of initiative-specific information and perspective. Published October 10, 2005.
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Mississippi Renewal Forum: The Daily Bulletin 1
Tags for this publication:Extended onsite news from the Renewal Forum studio.
Date:
October 13, 2005 »
Mississippi Renewal Forum: The Daily Bulletin 2
Tags for this publication:Extended onsite news from the Renewal Forum studio.
Date:
October 14, 2005 »
Mississippi Renewal Forum: The Daily Bulletin 3
Tags for this publication:Extended onsite news from the Renewal Forum studio.
Date:
October 15, 2005 »
Mississippi Renewal Forum: The Daily Bulletin 4
Tags for this publication:Extended onsite news from the Renewal Forum studio.
Date:
October 17, 2005 »
New Urban News list of new urbanist codes
Tags for this publication:Selected zoning and planing codes promoting New Urbanism.
Date:
July 3, 2001 »
New Urbanism and New Pedestrianism in the 21st Century
Tags for this publication:New Pedestrianism takes what has been learned from new urbanist projects, and then revives and expands upon some old pedestrian-oriented experiments in urban design that have become increasingly relevant. At the same time, New Pedestrianism anticipates the rapidly accelerating pace of science and technology. It is an attempt to bridge the gap between the automobile age and the information age by building towns for the future that meet everyone's needs. To view the academic paper submission, click here
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Parking Management Tech Sheet
Tags for this publication:Parking Management Tech Sheet
Date:
May 31, 2001 »
Parking Study: Norman Garrick and Wesley Marshall
Tags for this publication:Attached is a new study showing the benefits of street parking on main streets by CNU Board member Norman Garrick and Wesley Marshall both of the University of Connecticut.
Date:
May, 2008 »
Ped Sheds Tech Sheet
Tags for this publication:Using walkable catchments ("ped sheds") to show the actual area within a five-minute walking distance from a neighborhood or town center.
Date:
May 31, 2001 »
Perferated, Bent, and Folded; Pedestrian Geometries
Tags for this publication:This slideshow presentation compares the pedestrian experience of two very different cities, San Antonio and Houston. The pedestian experience is made alive in cities through the geometry of space, and it is disscussed in this presentation as perferations, bends and folds.
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Perforated, Bent and Folded: Urban Fabric for Human Consumption
Tags for this publication:As cities moved toward the new world order of the automobile, the urban terrain of the 20th century began to shift paradigmatically. The traditional measure of place, once understood in terms of centers, now gave way to an auto-specific linear construct. Simply getting from one place to another, in terms of distance and time, became the order of the day. The outward thrust of the post industrial revolution city coupled with modernists' tenets, and the proliferation of the automobile, soon began to smooth out the geometries of traditional urban fabric. The perforated, bent and folded terrain of traditional cities, i.e. the colonnades, covered walks; raised pedestrian crossing, street markets, and tree lined boulevards soon began to disappear. Smooth-cities, unable or unwilling to define place and motion in terms of human scale, became less and less pedestrian and alive. To view the academic paper submission, click here
Phoenix Rising: Measuring Urban Densification Associated with Light Rail Transit
Tags for this publication:This paper explores how metrics that use annual parcel-level data allow policy makers and researchers to quantify the extent to which LRT and supportive policies such as zoning create more compact cities. The authors assessed changes in housing density in anticipation of Phoenix's Light Rail Transit system due to begin operation in 2008, using two measures- intensity (total living area divided by land parcel area), and coverage (percentage of parcel built upon). For land parcels with overlay zoning- an ordinance specifying the form and approximate density of future construction- intensity and coverage for housing built during a five year phase (2000-2005) more than tripled and doubled respectively compared to pre_2000 levels. Light Rail Transit and overlay zoning can stimulate wholesale shifts in housing mix and generate more compact housing even before systems become operational. To view the academic paper submission, click here