How Andres Duany Envisions the Future by 'Translating' the Present

As America confronts the challenges of global warming, rising energy costs, increasing inequality, and impoverished governments over the next 30 years, Andres Duany - the "guru of the new metropolis" - believes New Urbanism is perfectly positioned to address those challenges.

Hampson describes Duany's vision for the future, which includes an overhaul of "conventional suburbia," replacing shopping malls with town centers and building townhouses instead of detached single-family homes, and the growth of "agrarian urbanism" and local governance.

Duany has more than a few critics, however, writes Hampson, including those who believe that New Urbanism's "planner knows best" philosophy is presumptuous and ineffective. Perhaps these criticisms would be more difficult to dismiss if Duany's vision wasn't delivered in true prescriptive form as, "what the doctor ordered for the next 30 years."

Thanks to Emily Williams