Jackson Hovis

SPCM 2360

Dr. Stahl

May 5, 20011

New Urbanism: Different views of a community

The end of World War II brought with it a large movement to the suburb that is known as "suburbia sprawl".  Since an increasing percentage of the population had access to their own form of transportation, many families decided to move further away from the city in hopes of a more calm and comfortable lifestyle. With suburbia sprawl came transportation issues and long commutes to regular destinations such as work, grocery store, school. The idea of New Urbanism was developed in attempted to counter the sudden suburban sprawl. "A growing movement of architects, planners, and developers, the New Urbanism is based on the belief that a return to traditional neighborhood patterns is essential to restoring functional, sustainable communities" (Steuteville 1). While New Urbanism type developments have been sprouting up all over the country, some critics are questioning how accurately new urbanist are portraying their ideas to residents as well as to the public. The word, "community" is the most commonly used theme associated with New Urbanism.  But people’s interpretation of the different aspects that make up a community can drastically differ. ). Paul Clarke in his article, The Ideal of Community and Its Counterfeit Construction, quotes Andrew Ross by saying

“Community” is one of the most emotionally ubiquitous and versatile touchstones of American life. As a result, it is one of the more overused words in our daily lexicon, relentlessly mined for all sorts of social, religious, and commercial purposes, and in most instances no more meaningful than a sugary advertising cliché. Of all the things that can be acquired in a market civilization, it is supposed to be one of the most elusive.

This paper will attempt to explain different views that are commonly portrayed when talking about New Urbanism. It will look at the new urbanist views of effective community-style living, as well as common views of fantasies of the "good life" often attributed to New Urbanism, and lastly the idea of commercial control of culture in relation to New Urbanism.

New Urbanist have held on tight to their shared values of community living. More and more people are buying into the ideas that make up New Urbanism. Although physical characteristics such as local proximity, public facilities, less car, and architecture play a large part in New Urbanism, social factors are thought to be the most influential part in people’s decision to live in New Urbanistic type developments.  In her article, Social Goals of New Urbanism, Emily Talen describes three principle goals that are influential in New Urbanism; community, social equity, and the notion of common good (Talen 167).  The desire to be apart of a close social network and having emotional support from neighbors is a prevalent part of a community. Being able to say hello or ask for help is psychologically gratifying (167). Although social equity can be defined several ways, in relation to New Urbanism, it can be defined as distributive equality. Each person living in the community has equal accessibility to resources, goods, and services (168).  Lastly, the notion of common good is a term that “promotes the view that actions should benefit all individuals, not just a privileged few (169). 

New Urbanism is commonly portrayed as a picture perfect Utopian- style community where everything runs smoothly and efficiently. Residents are often viewed as fantasizing about the "good life" and attempting to live in a perfect Utopia. The three concepts listed in the previous paragraph: community, social equity, and notion of common good all perfect examples of fantasizing of the “good” life. Others are perfectly mowed lawns, quality schooling, buying locally to stimulate economic growth, walking instead driving improves the environment, are all common stereotypes of New Urbanism life styles. The developers and residents of these communities want to believe this is realistic but realistically, the perfected Utopian society does not exist.  Most people living in these types of communities are not employed locally thus need to commute to work. In doing so, they are highly susceptible to shopping at larger establishments for cheaper prices. In turn, they are negating the idea of shopping local to stimulate economic growth in the community (Sander, 216). A case study compiled by Ambe Njoh on Celebration, Florida uncovers many flaws in the ideals of New Urbanist. Celebration is so large that stores located within it cannot satisfy the needs of everyone in the community thus proving the point that outside spending is inevitable. All parts of the community are supposed to be conveniently accessible by foot. Celebration, Florida is 9,600 acres and schools are not accessible by walking. Transportation is needed not only to attend school but to get to many places in the community (Njoh 6).

Commercial control of culture is a common theme that is attributed to New Urbanism.  Larry Ford, a professor at San Diego State University, makes several valid points about corporate strangle holds on culture in his article New Urbanism and theories of good city form.  His first point raises the question on whether communities such as Celebration, Florida "can call themselves traditional if they are designed, controlled and maintained by corporations"(Ford 252).  This so called "traditional community" proves to lack authenticity as well as individualism if all the decisions are being made by Disney.  The corporation is not just selling a house but is also forcing a lifestyle. Another interesting point Ford illustrates about corporate control of new urbanism is the "allegation that neo-traditional projects are simply another way to segment the marketplace and to create specific lifestyle landscapes for particular groups of people" (252).  This goes hand in hand with the previous point. Residents are living in a controlled environment where every aspect of their life is pre-determined and predestinated.  Residents are surrounded by shops, schools, restaurants, that are all influences of the large corporation Disney.  The town square is centrally located not for easy accessibility or community living, but instead to control residents lifestyle and generate more outside money into the community thus making Disney Corp more prosperous. One of the most prominent New Urbanism principles is community involvement. When looking at the management structure of Celebration one cant help but notice that it is completely autocratic.  Committee members of the Owner's association are appointed by Celebration Company ( Njoh 6). Paul Clarke in his article, The Ideal of Community and Its Counterfeit Construction, quotes Andrew Ross by saying

In the last twenty years, “community” has become a competitive feature in the consumer housing industry, where developers bundle it into the package of amenities. . . . Customers can buy into a “strong” community where others appear to be weak or disorganized or in decline. Community then acquires value as a therapeutic asset that can be purchased by those who, among all the groups in society, probably have least need for its restorative virtues.  The demand for such a place rests on the perception that community is every-where else an endangered species.3

Regardless of ones stance on New Urbanism, it has become a prominent living style for many people across the country. Whether or not the ideas behind it actually lead to better quality of life can be debated, misconstrued, and tossed every which way.  Essentially what is all comes down to in the end is each person’s individual preference.  New Urbanism attempts to offer a low key, simpler way of living that promotes community involvement. Whether or not this is true remains up for debate. 

Works Cited

Clarke, Paul Walker. "The Ideal of Community and Its Counterfeit Construction." Journal of Architectural Education 58.3 (2005): 43-52. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 4 May 2011.

Talen, Emily. "The social goals of new urbanism" Housing Policy Debate 13.1 (2002). 04 May. 2011
 http://www.informaworld.com/10.1080/10511482.2002.9521438

Njoh, Ambe. "Traditional Urban Design: The Case of Celebration, Florida, USA." Case Study Prepared for Revisiting Urban Planning. Www.unhabitat.org. 2009. Web. 4 May 2011. <http://mirror.unhabitat.org/downloads/docs/GRHS2009CaseStudyChapter03Celebration.pdf>.

Ford, Larry R. "New Urbanism and Theories of Good City Form." Lynch Revisted 16.4 (1999): 247-57. Sicence Direct. Web. 4 May 2011. <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V9W-3WSMJSK-4&_user=655127&_coverDate=08%2F31%2F1999&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=gateway&_origin=gateway&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000033918&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=655127&md5=95567ac6d7e937c628ef6439b9453832&searchtype=a>.

Sander, Thomas H. "Social Capital and New Urbanism: Leading a Civic Horse to Water?." National Civic Review 91.3 (2002): 213. America: History and Life with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 4 May 2011. http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=12374945-7c90-4351-acb1-09c5b904273f%40sessionmgr111&vid=1&hid=110&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=31h&AN=8688405