Andres Duany - New Urbanism

CenterCity

likepilateihaveadog wrote:

Anyone here read: Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream?

good read.

thought this could be a good thread to discuss new urbanism in general as well.

There's a lot going on in Lancaster right now....

thanks for that suggestion. makes me sad though. really. sigh. :( i hope the question that this book examines or contemplates also goes over solutions.

for me its about not being fat and lazy.

that sense of spirit that yeah, i am proof that the americain dream works, that i am living the americain dream, that you know what i am carrying my predecssor's legacy onward......in so many ways is so vital to this country. that can't be stressed enough.

its the very essence of what america has stood for since the native americain respect for the love-of-the-nature-that-this-land had to offer to the founding-fathers/africain americains to the latest person that immigrated.

likepilateihaveadog

surferdude wrote:

I apologize if I've insulted you or your profession.

My main bone of contention is not with new urbanism, hell if that's the bill goods people are happy being sold so be it, but with the vilification of urban sprawl. Even worse, the justification for this vilification is completely unfounded, unscientific and, in general, unprofessional.

I think it's quite scientific in spots.
The more roads you build, the worse traffic becomes. This has been proven world over. Things like that can be measured.

Are people very polemic about this? Certainly. Why? - Like you said, it may be a vested interest in seeing these new urban units sold, etc.
But the main point is that the suburban model is not sustainable taking into consideration projections about energy and materials futures.

That concern for the future is hard to stomach because it doesn't or won't affect us - but should we try to do something about it?

I think so...

surferdude

likepilateihaveadog wrote:

I think it's quite scientific in spots.
The more roads you build, the worse traffic becomes. This has been proven world over. Things like that can be measured.

Are people very polemic about this? Certainly. Why? - Like you said, it may be a vested interest in seeing these new urban units sold, etc.
But the main point is that the suburban model is not sustainable taking into consideration projections about energy and materials futures.

That concern for the future is hard to stomach because it doesn't or won't affect us - but should we try to do something about it?

I think so...

Would we really care about traffic time so much if cars didn't pollute? If people are happy to live an hour drive from work we should let them. We do have to lessen the impact that cars have on the environment. I just don't believe that vilifying urban sprawl is the way to change auto pollution. It may help a little but we have no idea of the social consequences in this change in living patterns.

In my books, vilifying urban sprawl because of commute times is a joke. If people don't want to live close to their workplace so be it, let them live with the consequences of their choice. New urbanism is not going to help this in any way. New urbanism doesn't help with the startling lack of green public transportation infrastructure in most cities. In fact it pretty much chooses to gloss over this in a see no evil type of approach. But new urbanism will lead to increased traffic congestion during commute time unless public transportation is provided, but new urbanism blithely ignores the cost component of building this infrastructure that is now needed.

Like life, the best approach is all things in moderation. But that's not hte approach being taken, or so it seems. Just remember, these city planners currently trumpeting new urbanism are the same city planners who 30-40 years ago were trumpeting urban sprawl as the healthy lifestyle.

likepilateihaveadog

No, no no - I think it is important.
If you're sitting in a car two hours a day...how wasteful is that? How many hours of doing other things are you losing a year? Over a lifetime?
It's competiton too - you're fighting for road space, trying not to die the whole time...
Again, it's just another factor that serves to isloate people and make us "scizophrenic."
At least that's what Duany says.

surferdude

likepilateihaveadog wrote:

No, no no - I think it is important.
If you're sitting in a car two hours a day...how wasteful is that? How many hours of doing other things are you losing a year? Over a lifetime?
It's competiton too - you're fighting for road space, trying not to die the whole time...
Again, it's just another factor that serves to isloate people and make us "scizophrenic."
At least that's what Duany says.

Who are you or Duany to decide how people choose to use their free time?

Personally, I think watching tv and using air conditioning is quite wasteful, harmful to the environment, bad for our health (the tv part), leads to isolationism and is bad for families. Do I get to ban tv's and air conditioning? Gee, this will be so much fun. Taking a way freedoms because we we don't like the choices people make.