Congress for the New Urbanism

The Congress for the New Urbanism is a nonprofit advocacy organisation that champions walkable, mixed-use urban design as an alternative to car-dependent suburban sprawl. It was founded in 1993 by architects Peter Calthorpe, Andres Duany, Elizabeth Moule, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Stefanos Polyzoides and Dan Solomon, with Peter Katz serving as founding executive director; the first Congress convened in Alexandria, Virginia in October 1993, drawing about a hundred attendees. CNU's founding responded to two intertwined crises: disinvestment and urban renewal hollowing out historic city centres, and the spread of low-density, placeless suburban development. In 1996, at its fourth Congress, the organisation adopted the Charter of the New Urbanism, articulating principles for the region, the neighbourhood and the block and street that remain foundational to the movement. CNU has since become a leading voice on walkable urbanism, popularising practices such as mixed-use development, transit-oriented design, complete streets and the restoration of historic Main Streets, and it holds an annual Congress and provides research, technical assistance and advocacy support to planners, architects, developers and public officials pursuing human-scaled, sustainable community design.