George Washington University urban and regional planning Professor Dorn C. McGrath argues "the New Urbanists have declared their resurrection of some old, well-tested principles of town planning and architectural design to be a "New Movement," but the emperor may want to look into the mirror of reality." More...

Peter Calthorpe, a founder of the New Urbanist movement, says there's still more work to do.

New Urbanism Index

E. Crichton Singleton
of The American Insitute of Architects

William Fulton
of The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Critics point to New Urbanist settlements like Celebration, Florida (a 5,000-acre compound built by the Disney Co.), and Seaside, Florida, (shooting site for the film The Truman Show) and say these towns feel artificial in their own way, and are still largely isolated from the surrounding area.

Critics also charge that New Urbanism has largely failed to live up to its own goals for diversity, and attracts mostly white, affluent residents.

New Urbanists admit that their neo-traditional style won't appeal to everyone, but say they simply offer an alternative to the conventional suburban style.