Whose Traditions Count? Questioning New Urbanism’s Traditional Neighborhood in the American South

• Published in: Journal of planning education and research Vol. 44; no. 1; pp. 178 - 193
• Main Author: Raciti, Antonio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.03.2024; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Historic districts; Neighborhoods; Questions; Residents; Traditions; Urban planning; Urbanism; Urbanization; Erudición participativa; Barrio Tradicional; engaged scholarship; urban morphology; traditional neighborhood; 参与式奖金; Morfología Urbana; 新都市主义; Urbanismo Negro; 黑人都市主义; New Urbanism; 城市形态学; 传统邻里; Black urbanism; Nuevo Urbanismo
• ISSN: 0739-456X; 1552-6577
• DOI: 10.1177/0739456X20954532

This article discusses the ontological underpinnings and normative assumptions of the New Urbanism paradigm by exploring how long-term residents explain differences in two historic neighborhoods in Memphis, Tennessee. By using an engaged research approach, it examines the production and transformation of space, questioning the meaning of traditions from the perspective of Black residents. Findings suggest that a paradigm of urbanism ought to be built on a systematic investigation of the people–space–time nexus, arguing that the intersection of urbanisms is a way to understand and act on phenomena of urbanization often overlooked by mainstream urban design approaches.