The Purpose and Principles of New Urbanism in Social Community

New Urbanism is a planning trend that values sustainability, mixed housing types, mixed land use, diverse transportation options, sociability and walkable communities. On the other hand, traditional planning focuses more on urban sprawls, less diverse and more separated housing and a higher reliance on vehicle transportation.

New urbanism offers more diverse modes of transportation, including biking, walking and public transit. This is achieved through sufficient and readily available public transit, bike lanes/racks and sidewalks. In contrast, traditional planning requires a car to get around. According to a study by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., residents of new urbanism communities are 2.5 times more likely to walk or bike in comparison to neighborhoods with traditional planning (thestar.com). Walkable communities translate to easier accessibility and a result less traffic on roads. Traffic congestion is a common problem in traditional planning.

New urbanism focuses on creating a social community with a powerful sense of identity. As opposed to traditional planning which can ignore the social aspect of a community through separated land use and less city centres. For example, the new urbanist community of Cornell in Markham organizes a yearly community picnic and a 5-kilometre charity race (thestar.com). This strengthen ties within the community. The afore-mentioned study done by the Canada Mortgage and Housing corp. found that new urbanist communities are more likely to be social and converse with one another (thestar.com). Furthermore, a study done by Harvard found that stronger relationships within communities, increased mental health and helped residents live longer (news.harvard.edu)

Traditional planning is generally identified by single detached homes. In comparison, new urbanism offers a variety of housing types, including single detached homes, townhouses, and apartments. Furthermore, housing is available for all types of income levels.

The environment and being environmentally friendly is a major aspect of new urbanism, while traditional planning can over-look this. Just look at the contrasting values between the two different planning systems. One is heavily reliant on vehicle transpiration which increases air pollution, while the other focuses on walkable communities. Walking and biking are not environmentally friendly, they increase physical health and well-being. It is difficult to be physically active when a car is needed for transportation.

The impact traditional planning has on the built form is more separated and less dense. Homes are generally single detached with large lots, backyards and front yards. In addition, the built form is more separated and less dense. The impact new urbanism has on the built form is more compact and accessible. Houses take up less space, garages and backyards are less common.