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development around formal, neighborhood-scale public spaces. These traditional urban design patterns have <br />emerged from history and memory as a collection of best practices. A few prime examples are reviewed below. <br /> <br />The philosophical perspectives of the proponents of New Urbanism came into national focus starting in the <br />1980's. In 1991, national news began to cover 'Neo-traditional' planning projects and personalities. Television <br />news programs featured this new approach to building communities. The Truman Show, a movie that depicts <br />the possibility that one could grow up in an ideal community, not knowing that every aspect of social interaction <br />was scripted, was filmed at Seaside, Florida, the first neighborhood built based on New Urbanism principles. <br />The design guidelines that inspired the town of Seaside were the work of architects Andres Duany and Elizabeth <br />Plater-Zyberk, two of the original proponents of New Urbanism. <br /> <br />Several years ago, an extensive article in Time Magazine covered the works of Peter Calthorpe, a leading urban <br />planner and amhitect, and Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk. At the time, Calthorpe was assisting the <br />City of Pleasanton in evolving the Phase ! Specific Plan and promoted the idea of "transit oriented development" <br />as the new community model. Duany had labeled his own work as "traditional neighborhood development." For <br />the sake of clarifying terminology, these leading planners have mom recently agreed to refer to the movement as <br />New Urbanism, although variations on the theme distinguish practitioners. <br /> <br />These 'new' ideas actually hearken back to 19th Century new town planning. A few examples include Llewelyn <br />Park, New York; Riverside, Illinois (1850-1920); the "City Beautiful" and "Garden City" movements during <br />the 1920's; Greenbelt Towns of the 1930's and new town movements in America during the 1960~70's (Reston, <br />Virginia). These innovative approaches to community design were in response to the social and environmental <br />needs of the time. <br /> <br />Con?ess for New Urbanism <br /> <br />The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) was established in 1993 to help promote this restorative approach <br />to community building. The CNU has prepared a charter for New Urbanism with a preamble and list of twenty- <br />seven principles. Of the twenty-seven, those listed below address in some way the integrated patterns of <br />commemial, residential, civic and public spaces, a strategy that has guided the Phase 1 Specific Plan. The Bemal <br />Design Team recommends that New Urbanism principles also be applied to the Phase 1I Specific Plan area. <br /> <br />Principles espoused in the CNU Charter that directly address parks, open space and public places include the <br />following (principle number and direct quotation): <br /> <br />The metropolis has a necessary and fragile relationship to its agrarian hinterland and natural <br />landscapes. The relationship is environmental, economic, and cultural. Farmland and nature are as <br />important to the metropolis as the garden is to the house. <br /> <br />The physical organization of the region should be supported by a framework of transportation <br />alternatives. Transit, pedestrian, and bicycle systems should maximize access and mobility <br />throughout the region while reducing dependence upon the automobile. <br /> <br /> <br />