New Urbanism is an urban design movement that promotes walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods with a range of housing types, connected street networks, and civic and public spaces, as an alternative to car-dependent suburban development.
It was organized in the United States in the early 1990s through the Congress for the New Urbanism. Its codes and town plans regulate the form of buildings and streets more than the use of land, and they treat parking as something to place and share carefully so that it does not dominate the street.
Parking in New Urbanist places
- On-street parking that buffers sidewalks and serves shops. See on-street parking.
- Off-street parking behind or within blocks, out of sight of the main street.
- “Park once” districts, where visitors park in a shared garage and walk between destinations. See shared parking.
- Reduced parking requirements where streets, transit and mixed uses reduce driving.
The Parkonomics view
New Urbanism’s lasting lesson for parking is placement. Where the cars sit decides whether a street feels like a place or a parking lot with buildings attached.
Related terms: Smart Growth, Transit-Oriented Development, Shared Parking, On-Street Parking, Land-Use Planning