|
|
|
Dear Urbanist, The new urbanist movement has grown as strong and widespread as it is today thanks to the hard work and support of members like you. But we still have much work to do to make the principles of New Urbanism commonplace in the industries that affect our built environment. Please consider making a special year-end donation to help CNU address new challenges and continue to accelerate the spread of New Urbanism. You and other new urbanists have always known that human settlement patterns drive energy consumption and carbon emissions. Global climate change is the test of our lifetime, fueled by an automobile-dependent built environment pushing U.S. per capita greenhouse gas emissions far higher than the rest of the world. Without a major shift from sprawl to compact urbanism, we will fail this test. As environmentalists have illuminated the rich complexity of the natural environment, new urbanists highlight the complex nature of the urban environment after decades of oversimplification. Our movement needs to forcefully promote New Urbanism as a critical remedy to this crisis. In the next 30 years, our country will build 70 million new dwellings somewhere. How we shape our growing built environment will significantly impact this future. In the U.S., transportation contributes one-third of greenhouse gas emissions. Considering that increases in driving will otherwise cancel out any increase in fuel efficiency, reducing vehicle miles traveled through compact mixed-use development is critical. Residents of compact, transit-served neighborhoods drive, on average, a third less than their auto-dependent exurban peers. With urban life emerging as a market favorite, building a good portion of dwellings in compact, walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods appears to be the most convenient remedy for the "Inconvenient Truth." Not only is it an effective environmental strategy, but it also makes sound business sense, especially in the currently troubled real estate market. CNU helps both environmentalists and developers recognize the importance of location and community design in achieving sustainability and profitability. CNU has partnered with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC) to create the LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) rating system. LEED-ND offers one way to define and reward sustainable urban development. CNU has begun work on printed materials and on a short film illustrating the potential impact of this “convenient remedy.” These resources will broaden the reach of our message through dissemination in new media outlets such as cnu.org, YouTube, CurrentTV, and other electronic media. CNU has also been active in reforming conventional approaches to transportation that will encourage better land use, reduced driving, and denser urban development. We are working with the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to introduce a manual for the design of urban thoroughfares that enables multi-modal, walkable streets for urban communities. We've been busy advocating for the replacement of urban freeways in Seattle and Buffalo with pedestrian-friendly boulevards. The newest phase of our “Highways to Boulevards” program will produce training programs for local advocacy groups to expand our efforts nationwide. Our newest transportation project, in partnership with the U.S. EPA, will address the objections of emergency responders to urban street forms, balancing new urbanist human-scaled design with the need for emergency vehicle access. These complimentary efforts are integral to addressing climate change. The Congress for the New Urbanism is our collective organization, our vehicle for advancing the practice of New Urbanism. Your continued support will enable CNU to commit even more energy to helping the building industry improve the environment, rather than damaging it. Please consider increasing your commitment to CNU to help us as we strive to make New Urbanism the new norm. You can Donate Online or mail a check to the address below. Your year-end, tax-deductible donation to CNU, whether $5,000, $500, or $50, will strengthen CNU in its efforts to spread the principles of New Urbanism and realize the promise of the Charter. Sincerely,
John Norquist P.S. If you would like to make a stock gift to CNU, please contact Brenda Smith at 312.551.7300 or bsmith@cnu.org.
Congress for the New
Urbanism |
