The proposition put forward by this initiative and this conference is bold and visionary:
"The late 20th Century was the age of economic globalization. The first part of the 21st century will be the age of the city, the 'Urban Age'.... The design of the built environment, the distribution of urban density, and their impacts on social inclusion and the quality of life, are at the forefront of political discussion in towns and cities across the globe."
Is an Urban Age possible in our suburban nation?
- Competitive cites that create and nurture strong, resilient, adaptive economies.
- Sustainable cities that promote accessible transport, residential and employment density and energy efficiency.
- Inclusive cities that grow, attract, and retain the middle class and integrate individuals across racial, ethnic and class lines.
- Physical cities where the built environment—neighborhood design, the architecture of private and public space—is a critical foundation of competitiveness, sustainability and inclusivity.
A decade or two ago, many Americans would have scoffed at this notion. An urban age in the land of strip malls, exit ramps and big boxes?
Our nation, from its very inception, has been ambivalent, if not hostile, to the city. From Thomas Jefferson's "Pestilence City" in the 18th century, to the nativistic movements of the 1850s and 1890s, to Frank Lloyd Wright's "Vanishing City" in the 1930's, to futurist tracts more recently, the city has always been perceived as dirty and unhealthy, bureaucratic and antiquated, home to people and concepts that were not quite American.
Or as Thomas Jefferson famously wrote: "When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe."