New Urbanism
New Urbanism is why newer neighborhoods feel cozier... and are more expensive.
Background
Urban decay really began to hit US cities after WW2 for a litany of reasons. The Great Migration of black Americans from the rural south to cities throughout the east coast and Midwest of the United States increased the diversity of these cities. This triggered a counter migration called 'white flight' wherein white Americans, fearing that their property values would fall, sold their homes and moved out to newly made communities called suburbs. This killed the revenue streams of these communities, causing cities to go into disrepair as the tax base relocated.
This suburbanization was also the result of a boom of prosperity after WW2 thanks to the GI bill funding education opportunities, training programs, and low interest housing loans for veterans. Car ownership increased as the US invested in a federal highway system, meaning commuting became a real possibility. Housing developers were creating planned communities such as Levittown, selling the idea of an American dream - urban amenities, but away from the 'crime' and the 'bustle' of the city. These neighborhoods were built around the automobile, with wide streets where walkability was an afterthought and the only green was from the grass.
Many of these neighborhoods (such as the aforementioned Levittown) explicitly banned black owners, and banks often wouldn't lend to black families as they were viewed as a risk. Yes, even if they were veterans of WW2. This is still being felt in our society today, but that's a tale for another essay.
This is just a simplification of the many factors at work. There's plenty of more information out there, if you're interested.
End of the Honeymoon
By the 1970s and the 1980s, there was a growing disillusionment with the ecological cost of the rapidly expanding suburban sprawl in America's cities. Farmland was being rapidly priced out by hungry development of homes for single family use (an economic barrier put in place to unofficially segregate neighborhoods). And conversations were beginning to address why cities, which had been desegregated on paper, still had neighborhoods drawn along those same racial lines decades after.
One book that spoke to the social isolation growing out of suburbanization was Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert Putnam (2000). Putnam argued that Americans were increasingly disconnected from community. This loss of 'social capital' (to use Putnam's term) was due to many factors, however he also pointed a finger at suburban sprawl. He argued that commuting times needed to be shorter, and neighborhoods more communal.
That detour is to say that people recognized that bonds between people were disappearing under pavement.
What is New Urbanism?
New Urbanism seeks to be the medicine to this American illness. Starting properly in the 1990s, and continuing on into today, these neighborhoods incorporate a handful of important design philosophies.
- Sustainability: New Urbanism is concerned with reducing land consumption. Buildings are at the front of lots rather than the center, creating a smaller front yard area. Lots are compact and closer together; blocks and streets are more narrow. There is a mixture of townhouses, apartments, and traditional single-family housing. There are more green spaces woven into the neighborhood. Trees line the streets. The variety in density of housing increases the variety of home prices or rents, with the goal of attempting to create a variety of socioeconomic statuses among the residents - aka Affordable housing. Public transportation is preferred.
- Increasing Human Community: Those green spaces? Trails winding behind blocks of homes. A public center point that is a gathering place. Most places in the neighborhood can be reached in a few minutes of foot walk thanks to the trails. The roads are more narrow and curved, which also forces cars to drive more slowly. It's actually inconvenient to drive your car through the neighborhood. This means more pedestrians, and more opportunities for social interaction.
- Mixed Use Development: Neighborhoods should be walkable to conveniences and basic supplies. Rather than driving to the grocery store if short on a basic product like bandages or milk, a resident of one of these neighborhoods can instead take a simple walk to retrieve these items. Reducing the usage of single occupant vehicles is an objective of the movement.
Not all the positives can be realized however. In practice, employment isn't consistently close to residents, leading to long commuter times. Public transit is still underfunded or has poor reach in many areas. Many cities prioritize zoning for single family housing. While many new urbanism projects are based on infilling (building these communities in the spaces between old urban neighborhood and suburban ones) or on old brownfields (abandoned areas of deindustrialization), these can still increase rent and housing costs, inadvertently displacing lower income residents despite equitable and affordable housing being one of the stated goals.
It's easy to see why these neighborhoods are expensive. These neighborhoods are beautiful places to live. This rises demand, but there's no where near enough supply.
Conclusion
New Urbanism isn't a cohesive movement, but rather a philosophy of urban design that prioritizes people.
I don't live in a neighborhood that uses these design philosophies, but my neighborhood is right next to a neighborhood that does. It's always my favorite place to go on my Golden Hour Walks. There's consistently more human activity in that neighborhood than my own. These design philosophies are great, but without formal government involvement, they will always be de facto be out of reach for truly addressing its broader societal goals of sustainability and social equity.
Ever since I finished No Place For Us: Working and Homeless in America by Brian Goldstone, the challenge of housing affordability has been heavy on my mind. I finished the book while sitting in the neighborhood near mine, on a bench along one of the trails under the light of an orange, lantern style streetlight. I remember thinking this should be for everyone.
A more just world is theoretically possible. I hope we can get there.
Some References, if you'd like to read more:
New Urbanism: Past, Present, and Future by Ajay Garde (2020).
Congress For The New Urbanism.
Finally, if you'd like to see an example of a neighborhood using New Urban design philosophies, check out this google map link to the Mueller neighborhood in Austin, and take a stroll.