This main page can be used to comment on the overall idea of amending the Charter, while space to provide comments on individual proposed amendments is provided on pages devoted to each amendment.

The spirited discussion helped clarify that members view the Charter as a powerful and unifying expression of core principles and they want potential changes handled with care.

The subject of supplementing the Charter of the New Urbanism was back on the program at the Congress in Providence. At Sunday’s closing plenary session, the assembled membership considered three amendments on housing affordability, codes, and the Transect.

While the Sunday audience was down from its Saturday peak, the spirited discussion helped clarify that members view the Charter as a powerful and unifying expression of core principles and they want potential changes handled with care.

Since members were not ready to approve new amendments without more discussion and a larger share of the membership in attendance, the CNU board will now consider new ways to guide the continuing examination of the Charter. As part of that process, members are encouraged to view the proposed amendments as presented in Providence and comment on them.

This main page can be used to comment on the overall idea of amending the Charter, while space to provide comments on individual proposed amendments is provided on pages devoted to each amendment,

As presented at the 14th Congress for the New Urbanism
Providence, RI, June 1-4, 2006

Affordability
The ability to live in a well-designed walkable neighborhood should be within reach of all people, regardless of social or economic status. Affordability is dependent on many factors, including location within a region, neighborhood structure, access to jobs and services, and housing mix and tenure. Policy intervention from the public sector, incentives for the private sector, the elimination of exclusionary regulatory barriers, and participatory planning and design will substantially increase the supply, diversity, and quality of housing and enable new development that welcomes a diverse mix of people.

Discuss the Affordability Amendment.

The rural-to-urban transect is an essential tool for describing and coordinating the human habitat. It establishes appropriate relationships between buildings, streets, and public spaces and their natural contexts across the full range of urban settlement --from undisturbed nature to the most intensely urban places. The transect must be calibrated to reflect local climate, ecology, tradition, and building practice.

Discuss the Transect Amendment

Conventional use-based zoning should be replaced by design codes that guide the creation of an enduring form for cities and towns. Such codes must promote a mix of uses, diversity of street and housing types, and address appropriate forms of development at all scales.

Discuss the Codes Amendment

Earlier discussion of a previously proposed Infrastructure Amendment.
Earlier discussion of the Transect Amendment.
Earlier discussion of the Codes Amendment.
Earlier discussion of a Proposed Housing Affordability Amendment.

Looking for recent comments and proposed changes? Follow the links to the Proposed Housing Affordability Amendment, read the comments at the bottom of this page and under the Codes Amendment.

Looking for recent comments and proposed changes? Read the comments at the bottom of this page and under the Codes Amendment. (12-01-05)

Looking for recent comments and proposed changes? Read the comments at the bottom of this page and under the Codes Amendment. (12-01-05)

Transect

Proposed Charter Amendments

Preamble

Infrastructure

Codes

NEW—Proposed Amendment on Housing Affordability

Propose a change to the Infrastructure Amendment.

The rural-to-urban transect is a conceptual framework for describing the elements of metropolitan regions from rural to the most densely urban. It is a powerful tool for identifying and characterizing context and establishing appropriate relationships amongst disparate physical and environmental factors.

Propose a change to the Transect Amendment.

Propose a change to the Codes Amendment.

NEW—Proposed Amendment on Housing Affordability
Members have suggested this topic for an amendment. Work on the proposal here. View the initial text, comment on it, and suggest revisions. It's all here.

Members have suggested this topic for an amendment. Work on the proposal here. View the initial proposal, comment on it, and suggest revisions. It's all here.

Preamble

Infrastructure

Transect

Codes

Proposed Amendment on Housing Affordability
Stephen Coyle has suggested this amendment. View the initial proposal, comment on it, and suggest revisions. It's all here.

Instructions
Use the box below to comment on these proposed amendments and propose revisions to them. If there's sufficient interest, we can separate the discussions so each amendment is discussed separately.

You may also create a link to a new page -- perhaps to explore another potential amendment to the Charter or another aspect of the amendment process. To create a link to a new page, use the edit button above and scroll to the bottom of the text. On a new line, create a bit of text to introduce the new page, include a short page name and surround that page name with double brackets. Here's how the formatting looks: [[Future Amendments for Consideration]]. And here's how the link will look Future Amendments for Consideration ?.

When you save your changes, the new link will appear on the Amending the Charter page. Click on the link and you'll enter edit mode to begin creating a page.

Proposed Charter Amendments

At CNU XII in Chicago, CNU board members Dan Solomon and Hank Dittmar led members in considering several proposed changes to the Charter of the New Urbanism, mostly in the form of proposed amendments to be appended to the existing Charter. Changes to the Charter were first discussed and debated in a plenary session and then refined at a salon. The latest versions of these drafts follows.

Proposed Charter Amendments
Congress for the New Urbanism
June 25, 2004

Preamble

The application of the principles of new urbanism has led to the development of new techniques and refined understanding. These and future amendments to the Charter record this continuing evolution.

Infrastructure [this is a clarification of the Charter, not an addition]
Visible elements of infrastructure -- including utilities, bridges, and transit facilities -- are formative elements of public places. Infrastructure is as important to communities as are civic buildings, and as deserving of excellence in detail, design, construction, and maintenance.

Transect
The rural-to-urban transect is a conceptual framework for describing the elements of metropolitan regions from rural to the most densely urban. It is a powerful tool for identifying and characterizing context and establishing appropriate relationships amongst disparate physical and environmental factors.

Codes
Form-based codes addressing the quality of public spaces as well as the relationships among buildings are an important evolution in the practice of land development regulation and the creation of fine urban places.