New Urbanism Essay

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New Urbanism – A Vision for Sustainability
New Urbanism (NU) – a concept that changed the vision of how the planners used to see the fabric of the town panning. It is an approach that provides the means of what the key to a sustainable city design is. It supplies the fundamentals which leads to the foundation of a society that harmonise the community life, nurtures the nature and give a new light to the human spirit for living in a world that caters all, with a sense of prosperity and a bright future simultaneously, tackling the threats of the modern world in the best and the most efficient manner.
‘New’ meant a ‘renaissance’ or rebirth of traditional urbanism to replace suburban sprawl, rather than the imposition of something totally new. This rebirth of time-tested traditional urbanism, such as that found in the most successful precincts of Australia’s inner cities, must continually adapt itself, in response to changing circumstances such as newly recognised ecological and resource constraints, the Post-Industrial Economy, and decreasing household sizes. (Kaufman, 2006)
The term New Urbanism (NU) was coined by the end of 20th century. ‘New Urbanism is being promoted as a set of ideas to mitigate sprawl, to encourage sustainable growth, and to facilitate infill development.’ (Garde, 2004). The new urbanism’s focus is the compact metropolitan areas containing ‘multiple, yet dense walkable neighbourhood connected via transit, bounded by regional and local park system’ (Loomis, 1999, p.165). The phenomenon of the new urbanism was seen as the response to the original circumstances, the urban growth and development which was characterized by the continuously degrading quality of environment, falling public domain and the fast spreadin...

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...ildings, residences, shops and closer services it creates a society that is economically efficient and is more convenient, enjoyable place to live. With all these things in mind a planner must always aim for a sustainability. Sustainability encompasses the aspects like minimal environmental impact of development and operations, eco-friendly technologies, green transport, respect for ecology and value of natural systems, energy efficiency, less use of finite fuels, more local production more walking, less driving. All the above mentioned postulates forms the framework of NU and work in accordance with emphasis on beauty, aesthetics, human comfort, and creating a sense of place. Special placement of civic uses and sites within community. Human scale architecture & beautiful surroundings nourish the human spirit and maintain the quality of life. (NewUrbanism.org,)

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