CHARTER OF THE NEW URBANISM


The Block, Street, and Building

  1. A primary task of all urban architecture and landscape design is the physical definition of streets and public spaces as places of shared use.

  2. Individual architectural projects should be seamlessly linked to their surroundings. This issue transcends style.

  3. The revitalization of urban places depends on safety and security. The design of streets and buildings should reinforce safe environments, but not at the expense of accessibility and openness.

  4. In the contemporary metropolis, development must adequately accommodate automobiles. It should do so in ways that respect the pedestrian and the form of public space.

  5. Streets and squares should be safe, comfortable, and interesting to the pedestrian. Properly configured, they encourage walking and enable neighbors to know each other and protect their communities.

  6. Architecture and landscape design should grow from local climate, topography, history, and building practice.

  7. Civic buildings and public gathering places require important sites to reinforce community identity and the culture of democracy. They deserve distinctive form, because their role is different from that of other buildings and places that constitute the fabric of the city.

  8. All buildings should provide their inhabitants with a clear sense of location, weather and time. Natural methods of heating and cooling can be more resource-efficient than mechanical systems.

  9. Preservation and renewal of historic buildings, districts, and landscapes affirm the continuity and evolution of urban society.
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