New Urbanists

Definition

New Urbanists are a group of architects, urban planners and scholars who advocate for the design of cities that promote walkability, mixed-use development, and sustainable practices.

Analogy

Think of New Urbanists as chefs in a kitchen. Instead of cooking up meals (cities) that are unhealthy and unsustainable (sprawling suburbs with car-dependent lifestyles), they're trying to create balanced, nutritious dishes (walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods) that are good for our health (the environment).

Related terms

Smart Growth: This is an urban planning approach that focuses on sustainable growth, reducing sprawl, and improving quality of life.

Mixed-Use Development: This refers to an urban or suburban development strategy that blends residential, commercial, cultural, institutional or entertainment uses into one space.

Walkability: This is a measure of how friendly an area is to walking. It involves aspects like the presence of footpaths, sidewalks or other pedestrian rights-of-way.