Is New Urbanism the answer?

While the rest of the world languishes in the worst recession in many years, New Urbanist communities are faring better than the rest, says Seaside founder Robert Davis.

“People bought into the concept that the American Dream consisted of owning an automobile and a house in the suburbs, an idea created in 1939 by General Motors at Futurama when people saw its diorama of cars moving across multi-lane highways allowing people to travel in comfort to a house with its own yard. In the depths of the depression, it was a remarkable vision and people wanted it,” said Davis.

“So much of America has been built around the American dream of happy motoring. America is attached to autos. It’s a romantic attachment. But it’s a kind of prison of being strapped into a car seat asylum,” he continued. “We need to rethink our concept of the American Dream and stop sending money to Saudi Arabia and Detroit. We’re sending an astounding amount of wealth to other countries for oil to support a habit that is destroying our world. Forty-two-thousand people a year die in car crashes, the biggest percentage between the ages of 15 and 30. We should be outraged.”

“With $4 gas and a mortgage for a big house, we have created the perfect storm in that people can no longer afford to drive to get home. It’s all collapsing. All depends on oil. We’re facing the end of that version of the American dream,” he said.  

Davis believes America needs a new dream. He believes as a result of the collapse, more people are looking into New Urbanism, a situation that delights him.

“New Urbanist communities’ property values have been off a few percentage points as opposed to others that are off two-thirds of the value or in foreclosure,” he said.

Davis revived the concept of walkable New Urbanist communities in the early 1980s, when he began building Seaside. At that time, building a town around the concept of traveling by foot instead of car, and with houses constructed close to the sidewalk for easy communication with passersby was a different way of thinking for architects, builders and town planners.

Since Seaside has been built, those associated with planning and the building industry has come from around the world to see firsthand the workability of such a concept.

The result has been a springing up of more walkable communities around the world. Some have been new constructions and some have been downtown community refurbishments on the verge of being abandoned.

In linking New Urbanism and the current economic crisis, Davis points to the writings of Peter Calthorpe, author, Congress of the New Urbanism co-founder, and leading regional and community planner, who observes a connection between collapsing oil prices and urban sprawl.

However, Davis is not resting on his laurels and the acclaim he has already received for building the first New Urbanist model. He remains active in the Congress of New Urbanism and commutes between his homes in San Francisco and Seaside, and travels frequently to Italy. He said he has plenty more ideas and goals yet to accomplish — such as building a model town in South Walton for mixed income households where working people can live close to their jobs.

“We developed the model for New Town in the 1990s. It was to be a model town for mixed income so working people could live here,” he said. “Environmentalists killed it. Planner Pat Blackshear is talking of reviving it. Human habitat is at least as important as saving every puddle for whatever critters live there. The state owns plenty of land that will be kept in natural condition,” he said.

Davis is also looking at transportation in South Walton. He wants to revive talks on how to get from point A to B besides driving.

With a new airport in the plans for the area, he is advocating no driving to the airport. Transportation could be by bus or ferry, an option he said is much less energy intensive than cars.

“We need more transit to seduce people here and create a seductive model and fun transit options to make the experience of arriving in South Walton as interesting as getting off a plane in Venice. In Venice, bags are loaded onto a water taxi or bus that takes you from the airport across the lagoon. It’s a magical ride. There’s no reason we can’t do that here. And it’s cheaper,” he said. “Economic developers here viewed tourism as a way, not an end, to convince folks to move to South Walton’s idyllic environment. However, things necessary to attract people are culture, schools and transportation. We’re moving towards those things, but we’re not there yet.”

Davis is also an advocate for growing food close to home and said he is working on urban and sustainable agriculture projects.

“I also want to write and speak and create ideas for folks to pick up on. I want to organize study tours and get the message out. I want to influence culture and economics through good models and economic policy,” he said.

Another item on his agenda is spending more time in Washington D.C.

“I would love to be involved in economic policy and help influence transportation bills,” he said. “I have all sorts of things I still want to accomplish.

“I want to inspire the next generation. It’s time for the next generation of New Urbanists to take over and keep the vision going. New Urbanism will be the Urbanism for next generation.”

“My mission not over,” he said.