Ahead of the Game

"It used to be said that what’s good for General Motors is good for the country. Sprawl and Interstate highways were very good for GM, and we built them with manic determination in the last six decades. There has always been a contingent that has argued that automobile-dependent development patterns are not in our collective best interest, but those voices have been ignored by many. In the last year, however, dramatically more awareness has focused on the terrible twins of global warming and fossil-fuel dependency. One of the best ways to deal with these issues, many are realizing, is to offer the choice of not driving. The idea is dawning that what’s good for the nation is good for urbanism, and vice versa. New Urbanism is merging with sustainability.

"In almost no time, it seems, New Urbanism has gone from a design movement recognized primarily for good placemaking, to one that is perceived as beneficial to the environment. More work needs to be done to get the word out, and new urbanists themselves are helping by more explicitly focusing on green building principles. Yet the trend is clear. Land use programs will be judged by their greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on fossil fuels, and the links between New Urbanism and sustainability can only grow stronger."