The Congress of New Urbanism finished the celebration of its 10th anniversary this last weekend and it can be confidently stated that New Urbanism and New Architecture have achieved a non-return point of successful achievements. In many places of the world the reassessment of traditional principles of architecture and urbanism have come to be considered essential to a contemporary building culture and a modernity, willing to operate within a context of continuity of local identies and ecological and cultural diversity!

If 99% of the professional press still insists to highlight hysterically less than 5% of the contemporary production of architecture and urbanism, KATARXIS proposes to dedicate its exclusivity to the building of a beautiful, comfortable and permanent architecture, -- an architecture rooted in timeless pinciples as demonstrated in the best historical precedents of cities, towns, piazzas and public buildings, villages, landscapes and gardens, houses, villas, cottages, etc. produced by mankind's genius throughout different periods, cultures, climates and religions...and still present in the heart and mind of a majority of people.

The success of New Urban developments and of New Traditional Architecture in the USA (but also in many other places of the world), confirms the fact that a vital civlization is orientated by choices rather than being the victim of a blind fate: Sprawl and urban blight are consequences of deliberate choices and design philosophies, as much as good cities and good buildings result from correct choices and design visions and the application of time-tested principles, rather than from foolhardish experiments with mankind's tolerance of failure and discomfort.

Related Link: KATARXIS 02/1

For more information contact:

Lucien Steil
New School of Viseu (UCP)
Estrada da Circunvalação
Viseu
Beiras 3504-505
Portugal

Phone: +351 232 416144
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://luciensteil.tripod.com/newschoolofviseu/index.html