Embracing New Urbanism in Your Comprehensive Plan (CM | 1.5)

For some time now, many planners have struggled to demonstrate to the public how development that embraces new urbanist principles can benefit a community rather than increase traffic, increase crime, increase demand on services, which is a common perception of new urbanism and all of which we as planners know to be typical planning myths. The purpose of this session is to present how many communities are rethinking their long-term development policies that may once have embraced low-density, suburban development to incorporate more new urbanism principles such as a focus on infill development over greenfield development; a desire to create walkable neighborhoods with access to local businesses; and an understanding that high-density development is not the “plague” on society that some of the public may once have believed. This change in policy direction is often the direct result of a comprehensive planning effort that strives to engage the public in a transparent, open dialogue with a strong educational component on the benefits of new urbanism. This webcast will look at how a number of communities have succeeded in shifting their development policies to embrace new urbanism through the comprehensive planning process. The intent of this session is to outline how the comprehensive planning process is an ideal setting to introduce, educate, or reevaluate the incorporation of new urbanism principles in the future development and redevelopment of a community. Participants should be able to gain further insight on how best to engage and educate the public about new urbanism principles; to be careful in the format of the public participation (e.g., not misusing images or graphics to sway support, utilizing appropriate information and data, etc.), and to consider the various avenues of implementation (e.g., form-based code, development incentives, PUDs, etc.).

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