Quality of life issues, including traffic, housing, schools, crime and the environment, are interrelated and connected to design. We can have either a society of homogenous pieces, isolated from one another in often-fortified enclaves or a society of diverse and memorable neighborhoods, organized into mutually supportive towns, cities and regions. Duany and Plater-Zyberk declared war on sprawl about 20 years ago. They have won many battles since then. Even traffic engineers, once considered by Duany as the biggest enemies of new urbanism, have issued traditional neighborhood street standards.
Traffic calming is in.
Main Street is back. But sprawl is still proliferating and there still is much work to do. Suburban Nation should help architects, planners and political leaders score some valuable points for community.