I've just received my copy of the New Urbanism Best Practices Guide from New Urban News Publications. It just might be the most useful single book on the New Urbanism I have ever seen. This has been a work in progress for several years. Originally, the spiral-bound book was very good, to the point of being essential. But at this point, it's beyond essential... you really must buy a copy if you haven't already. Here's why:
Tipping the scales at 448 pages, the Best Practices Guide steps through all practical aspects of place-making, beginning with the Principles chapter. Chapter 2 is Shaping the Region, then Neighborhood-Scale Communities, Revitalizing Cities and Towns, Urban Retail, The Human-Scale Workplace, Planning and Transit, Streets, Civic Buildings and Spaces, Codes, Legal Planning, Charrettes, Market Demand, Finance, Land Development, Architectural Styles and Building Types, Building, Affordable Placemaking, Marketing, Building Community, Sustainability and Environment, Health and Aging, Policy, New Urbanism Abroad, Parking, and Landscape. It's not a stretch to say that this book is the definitive textbook of the practice of New Urbanism. No, it's more than that... it's the entire curriculum!
The Best Practices Guide draws upon a broad spectrum of New Urbanists. Rarely have so many contributed to a single work. But editors Rob Steuteville and Philip Langdon have done more than just assembling a lot of useful stuff. Because lots of useful stuff assembled from many authors is often very disjointed. But Rob and Phil have woven it into coherent stories so well that you sometimes have to read carefully in order to determine whose hand wrote what. It's very skillfully done, which contributes mightily to the book holding together as a coherent work.
Bottom line... if you haven't already placed your order, stop what you're doing and order it now. Anybody who has seen other book reviews I've done knows that I don't pull punches. This is a great resource. If you're serious about New Urbanism, you should have this book!
