A Research Agenda for New Urbanism

Elgar Research Agendas outline the future of research in a given area. Leading scholars are given the space to explore their subject in provocative ways, and map out the potential directions of travel. They are relevant but also visionary.

This book seeks to answer the question: what do we need to know about the success, failure and future prospects of creating walkable, diverse urbanism? Separating out what we already know from what we don’t, it advances a research agenda aimed at helping to sustain the New Urbanism movement. As the book clearly demonstrates, there is a lot we still need to learn about creating and sustaining good cities.

A wide array of topics are covered, from big picture concerns about the need for more theory development, to more fundamental topics like sustaining urban retail and encouraging multi-modal transportation. The authors explore research needs from the social, environmental, and economic sides of New Urbanism, from small-scale DIY tactics to large-scale policy platforms like the UN’s New Urban Agenda, from zoning reform to autonomous vehicles and climate change. New Urbanism is a large topic, and the research needed to sustain it is equally large.

We still need to know – in a more rigorous way – whether, and how, New Urbanist principles are ever achieved, whether the outcomes associated with a particular implementation strategy are providing environmental, social and economic benefits as claimed, and what the best strategy might be for fulfilling each goal.

This unique book offers profound and intriguing insights into the development and growth of New Urbanism. It will be required reading for students and scholars of urban planning and design, and urban studies more broadly.