[edmontonenthusiast]

Coldrsx originally posted this link and I thought it was an interesting video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGJt_YXIoJI

What do you think?

[Strange Meat]

It's good. I like it.

Thing about New Urbanism though is that the implementation of such plans, while essentially good, tend to only cater to yuppies. The stores/shops/bars, etc, always seem to be big chains, so essentially I view a lot of new urbanism projects (including a lot of TOD) as just a condensed version of the suburbs.

[JackStraw]

I liked that video. Even though it is kind of preaching to the choir here on SSP, and people like me, and most likely 95% of people on this board have been pro New Urbanism for a long time, it is a good video to pass onto people like my parents that know jack shit about anything other than the sprawly suburbs.


I agree with snodriter that a lot of new urbanism developments cater to yuppies, and kind of seem lame to me. Places like Stapelton in Denver, and the SouthSide works here in Pittsburgh are done very well, have great mixed urban areas, look good, and arn't built with cheap bland construction. THey have lame chains, like snodrifter says, that just don't cater to me and other middle class Americans.

However New Urbanism could include regentification of older walkable rundown neighborhoods that don't have the lame chains that cater to the upper middle class yuppies. Such as Lawerencville here in Pittsburgh. A neighborhood coming back with nothing but independent stores, art galleries, and restaurants. It is attracting younger middle and lower middle class people instead of going to Plum, PA.

[dchan]

I see New Urbanism as the modern version of "MIT Urban Planning faculty going apeshit fawning over Jane Jacobs' ideas at her lecture, and deciding to put 'Jacobian' ideas like corner grocery stores all over their new plans. Jane Jacobs sees the faculty missing her general points". It's basically taking a bunch of concepts - walkability, low-rise mixed commercial and residential buildings, and a mix of contemporary and traditional architectural elements - and making it pretty and appealing to the middle to upper-middle class.

Pretty boring and culturally-insensitive (regionally speaking) in my book. That kinda leads to most of the 'New Urbanism" districts to look and feel completely the same, no matter where it's implemented in the country. IMO, it's really not much different from a large shopping center in that respect.

[edmontonenthusiast]

^It's definitely a step up from the modern suburbia though. But it could be worked to be better.