What is New Urbanism

This concept is a development and planning approach based on the way towns and cities have been constructed for centuries. Streets, blocks, steel buildings, and shopping are specifically designed to be accessible to the public. The focus is on an urban scale created for the convenience of the public. All of the principles are defined in the charter.

The design of the principles was to offer options for development prior to World War II such as typical patterns including low-density, single usage, sprawling areas. This type of design has been proven to have a negative impact on the environment, health, and economics of the community. The principles of this type of design are applicable to new developments, preservation, revitalization and urban infill.

Urban design concepts can be applied to all types of development in nearly every type of area including busy suburban areas, rural main streets, key city centers, urban neighborhoods and entire regions.

Nuevo Urbanismo or the Urban Concept

Robert S. Davis is the home developer responsible for initiating the concept in 1979. At this point in time, he was the commissioner for the new architect’s office including the urban designers Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and Andrés Duany. The designers were focused on a project gathering information regarding the structural relationships of traditional villages located in the United States.

These villages did not have the benefit of mobility through automobiles. The information obtained was used to design the Seaside project in 1981. The project was created for the rehabilitation of a Florida coast seafront. An area encompassing 80 acres was plotted to create a quality urban environment. Urbanism promotes the maintenance and creation of a compact, scalable, and diverse environment.

The idea is appropriate for developing fully structured communities and architecture, including workplaces, metal buildings, shops, essential facilities, parks, and schools, for the residents’ daily lives. The location of everything was in easy walking distance. Strategies were used for urbanism, including light transport through conventional roads and trains.

The result was a reduction in congestion due to traffic, urban curb dispersion, and an increase in the availability of affordable housing for residents.

Organized Civil Society

During the past few years, the city initiated numerous historical steps for civil society due to the municipal authorities. A commitment was made in November of 2004 to promote and generate initiatives to transform the city. Jaime Lerner was the Brazilian architect hired by the Province of Chiriquí’s Chamber of Agriculture and Industries. His contributions to urban planning were based on his considerable experience.

The result was the POT or Territorial Planning Plan. This was a milestone extremely important for the development of the city using an urban concept. The next step was enhancing the city center by building the Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra Park. The design of the Metropolitan Park of David was a critical step for the urban development of the area.

In 2015, an update of the Territorial Planning Plan was achieved due to the contributions of the current City of David’s municipal engineer, the Housing and Territorial Ordering Minister, the Director of the Chiriquí Chamber of Commerce and Urbanism Commission, Dr. Manual Molina, and Ines Samudio, the engineer. During this time, Jorge Alberto Nasta Horna, the engineer, the Camchi presidents Felipe Venicio Rodriguez, Maria Isabel de Anguizola, and Camilo Brenes made essential contributions.

The project was completed through a combination of the love of the providence and professionalism. The result was the vision of the municipal engineer reaching fruition.

The Celebration in Orlando

In 2008, a celebration was held in Orlando. The concept of urbanism at this time was already fascinating. The project showed walkable urbanism had a positive impact on the population. The city was diverse, designed for mixed-use and compact including accessibility, sustainability, friendly mobility, a publicly structured neighborhood, and participatory and quality design. The La Plusvalia real estate market was extremely interested in the urban design of the city.

The Chiriquí Province

The conception of the new urbanism project originated with Elizabeth and Duany Plater-Zyberk of Promotora Hacienda Lagunas S.A. Unfortunately, there were few external market factors involved with the development of the project. Despite this, the validity of the project has not been lost for the future. As the leader of the Janson Family, Ricardo Janson the engineer is considered a visionary. The new developments created a perfect influence in the City of David in the Chiriquí province.

The Fontana District

Moule & Polyzoides was the designer for the La Fontana District Project. News has recently been received that the CNU Charter Emerging Projects award for 2020 was granted to this project. Despite the Coronavirus 19 pandemic, the real estate market in the City of David is experiencing a beautiful transition. The award is synonymous with pride, and represents hope for all of the city developers.

The La Fontana District Project has brought the future into the present. What both the people and the city deserve is a modern, inclusive and sustainable city. The combined longing felt by all city developers may have had something to do with winning the award.

The Principles of New Urbanism

There are ten essential principles the developers and planners of the La Fontana District Project used to create the city. The same concept can also be used for developing everything from an entire community to just one block.

Walkability

Urbanism should fulfill the majority of the needs of the residents by ensuring a walk of ten minutes from either work or home. The street design should be friendly, with metal buildings placed close to the street, including the doors, windows, and porches. There should be plenty of parking and trees on the streets.

The garages and parking lots should be located behind the homes and buildings. In most cases, the garages and parking lots are connected to alleyways. Traffic can be significantly slowed by ensuring the streets are narrow.

Sustainability

The community for eco-friendly technology and natural systems should be respected, including minimizing the impact on the environment through energy efficiency. There should be s secure connection between the community and the surrounding farmland to encourage consuming local foods and preserving the land.

Quality Urban Design and Architecture

The emphasis of the buildings is comfort, aesthetics, beauty, and a feeling of belonging. The function of public spaces includes steel buildings, civic art, and high-quality, and attractive public areas.

Diversity and Mixed-Use

Neighborhoods, buildings, and blocks should provide a mixture of homes, apartments, offices, and shops. Residents of every race, culture, income level and age should be welcomed into the neighborhood.

Increasing Density

All of the shops, buildings, services, and residences should be close together to ensure convenient walking. When the resources are more efficient, the residents can live in the neighborhood more enjoyably.

Connectivity

When the street grid is interconnected, traffic is effectively disbursed to encourage the residents to walk.

Smart Transportation

The public transit network should be high-quality for the connection of neighborhoods, towns, and cities. The design should be pedestrian-friendly to encourage residents to use more scooters, rollerblades, walking, and bicycles as transportation every day.

Mixed Housing

Zoning needs to allow numerous housing types to be placed close together, including a wide selection of prices, sizes, and types of housing.

The Structure of Traditional Neighborhoods

The edges and centers of the neighborhoods should be definite. The public spaces need to be located close to the center. Every neighborhood should provide numerous offerings residents can reach by walking for just ten minutes.

Quality of Life

The idea is to ensure the design provides residents with a good life by including places to inspire, uplift, and enhance the human spirit.

The Advantages of Urbanism

There are currently a lot of cities incorporating the urban design. The numerous advantages can be enjoyed in the future.

Increasing the Economic Viability

The city should provide lower costs, and better accessibility to residents enabling transportation costs to decrease. The advantages combine to provide residents with a healthier community.

Improving Community Health

The focus should be placed on a mixed-use design offering residents a more engaging, and healthier city life. This can be achieved through safe city planning.

Advanced Sustainability

Green transportation is encouraged in an urban city. The idea is to use different types of transportation selected to ensure a much higher level of sustainability.

Alternate Transportation

Alternate transportation is promoted in an urban city, with the focus placed on walking. A mixed-use design offers a much larger selection of city services and buildings close together. The result is decreased congestion, less pollution, and residents able to live a more active and healthier lifestyle.

The Essential Elements of the Urban City

The three main elements in an urban city redeveloped or developed within the metropolis are the corridor, district and neighborhood. Identifiable areas are created to encourage the residents to be responsible for both their evolution and maintenance.

Commercial and Civic Activities

The commercial and civic activities should be available in every district and neighborhood as opposed to being single-use, remote complexes. The location and sizes of the schools should allow children to ride a bicycle or walk. Codes for urban design should be used to promote the evolution and health of the corridors, districts, and neighborhoods as a guide for future changes.

Housing Levels

Each neighborhood should offer a wide range of prices and types of housing for daily interactions. The idea is to strengthen the civic and personal bonds required for an authentic community.

Neighborhood Variety

Neighborhoods should be mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly and compact. The emphasis of the districts should be single-use, with the neighborhood design principles followed whenever possible. The district and neighborhood connectors are the corridors including parkways, rivers, rail lines and boulevards.

Building Densities

The land and building densities should be close enough for residents to walk to the transit stops, enabling public transportation to be a good alternative to driving.

Daily Activities

The majority of daily activities should be within walking distance. Individuals unable to drive such as the young, and the elderly are offered independence. Streets should be designed to be interconnected to encourage residents to walk, conserve energy, and decrease the length, and the number of trips by automobile.

Transit Corridors

Transit corridors should be coordinated and planned for the organization of the city structure, and the revitalization of urban areas. Highway corridors should also be available for the existing city centers.

Parks

Parks should be placed throughout the neighborhoods including community gardens, village greens, parks specifically for children and ballfields. Different districts and neighborhoods should be connected and defined according to the open land and conservation areas.

The Main Purpose of Urban Architecture

The main purpose of landscape design and urban architecture is designing the public spaces, metal buildings, and streets shared and used by the residents. Each project should be seamlessly connected to the immediate surroundings.

Public Gatherings and Civic Buildings

Civic buildings, and areas where the residents gather are important for the culture and identity of the neighborhood. A distinctive form is necessary because the purpose is different than the other places and buildings located in the city.

Accommodating Automobiles

The development of the city must allow accommodations for automobiles. The accommodations must take both public spaces and pedestrians into consideration. The squares and streets should be interesting, comfortable, and safe for the residents.

Landscape and Architecture Design

The design of the landscape and architecture should originate from the local history, climate, building practices and topography.

Renewal and Preservation

The renewal and preservation of landscapes, districts, and historic buildings must include the evolution and continuity of the urban city.

Revitalization

Revitalizing the city should be based on security and safety. The buildings and streets should be designed to create a safe environment without risking openness or availability. Neighbors should be able to walk throughout the city, meet each other, and participate in community protection.

Resource Efficiency

Natural cooling and heating methods should be used to conserve resources. The residents should always be aware of the weather, their location, and the time.

Original article published via LinkedIn by American.com.pa