Founded in 1993, the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) is the leading organization of architects, planners, developers, transportation engineers and other development professionals that has been proactive in bringing about major shifts in how we plan our neighborhoods, communities and regions. Today, thanks to the dedicated efforts of the New Urbanists, compact, walkable and sustainable communities are more in demand than a decade ago. The New Urbanists also made public housing an integrated part of communities, and they took the lead in bringing about restorative plans to the hurricane-battered communities in the Gulf Coast.

The New Urbanists have also been leading change in how we plan our roadways. No longer is it acceptable to just build roads to carry more traffic. Now, roads are being designed to serve the needs of the communities that they traverse through and are being selectively transformed to become livable urban streets.

Increasingly, the New Urbanists recognize the economic strengths of the suburbs. Yet, the outdated suburban developments patterns are not equipped to adequately capture future growth. For the suburbs to grow smartly into the future, the New Urbanists have also been working on ways for suburbs to become more sustainable by changing growth patterns and development forms.

For more information on Congress for New Urbanism, please visit http://www.cnu.org. To review the CNU Charter, which includes the core principles of CNU, please visit http://www.cnu.org/charter or click here to download our Charter.

In the 15 years since CNU's formal organization, New Urbanists can point to several marquee achievements that will impact the quality of our built environment for generations to come. These include:
a. Hope VI: https://www.cnu.org/node/682
b. LEED ND: https://www.cnu.org/node/124
c. Highways to Boulevards: https://www.cnu.org/node/609

With your help and support, CNU Illinois will become a contributor to advances in the field of urban design, planning and architecture.
 

New Urbanism is about creating a memorable and meaningful public realm. Image: Topografis

People are at the heart of all New Urban projects. Image: Topografis