I haven’t written in this blog in a very long time. I’ve been very busy, moving across the country, starting grad school, and various other things. I’ve also been getting a little tired of focusing just on New Urbanism. I think part of what’s wearing me out is that I’m tired of dealing with different people’s definitions of New Urbanism. To some (myself), it’s compact, mixed-use, pedestrian-centered development. But to many planners, New Urbanism is Calthorpe and Duany building greenfield development with kitsch, traditional decoration. I’m not wild about greenfield development, and I’m especially not fond of Calthorpe, who more often builds uses adjacent to each other rather than truly mixed or even vertically mixed. Duany has done great theoretical work and some wonderful projects on the ground, but many have been greenfields that aren’t connected to transit and central cities. Norquist, on the other hand, is an urban, central city New Urbanist, and I find myself very much in line with his rhetoric. And as far as architecture goes, I feel that it’s secondary to true urbanism. Although I probably want a porch on the house I finally live in, I don’t feel that everyone else should have one.
I want to comment on things not related to New Urbanism, both things still related to planning and things related to architecture and other topics. I also want a place to just spout off every once in a while. With that in mind, I have started a new blog, Munson’s City. I hope that those who have been reading my blog for a while will visit my new one and continue to take interest in my opinions on architecture, urbanism, and everything else.
New Urbanism in the News 
The end of this blog and the beginning of a new one
I haven’t written in this blog in a very long time. I’ve been very busy, moving across the country, starting grad school, and various other things. I’ve also been getting a little tired of focusing just on New Urbanism. I think part of what’s wearing me out is that I’m tired of dealing with different people’s definitions of New Urbanism. To some (myself), it’s compact, mixed-use, pedestrian-centered development. But to many planners, New Urbanism is Calthorpe and Duany building greenfield development with kitsch, traditional decoration. I’m not wild about greenfield development, and I’m especially not fond of Calthorpe, who more often builds uses adjacent to each other rather than truly mixed or even vertically mixed. Duany has done great theoretical work and some wonderful projects on the ground, but many have been greenfields that aren’t connected to transit and central cities. Norquist, on the other hand, is an urban, central city New Urbanist, and I find myself very much in line with his rhetoric. And as far as architecture goes, I feel that it’s secondary to true urbanism. Although I probably want a porch on the house I finally live in, I don’t feel that everyone else should have one.
I want to comment on things not related to New Urbanism, both things still related to planning and things related to architecture and other topics. I also want a place to just spout off every once in a while. With that in mind, I have started a new blog, Munson’s City. I hope that those who have been reading my blog for a while will visit my new one and continue to take interest in my opinions on architecture, urbanism, and everything else.
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Posted in Commentary, New Urbanism
Tagged Andres Duany, Architecture, John Norquist, Peter Calthorpe