Louisville Chosen As Host City For The 2019 Congress For The New Urbanism

Louisville has been chosen to host the 27th annual Congress for the New Urbanism, an international placemaking conference, in the spring of 2019. Recent Congress host cities include Seattle, Detroit, Dallas and Buffalo. The event will bring over 1,500 attendees–including urban planners, architects and landscape architects, environmental consultants, engineers and real estate developers–to Louisville from across the country and the world.

CNU’s annual Congress is the premiere international event on planning, designing, and building walkable communities, mixed-use development, and sustainable, equitable cities.

“The arrival of the Congress for New Urbanism could not come at a better time for Louisville,” Mayor Greg Fischer said. “Many of the country’s most innovative and creative urban experts will be in our city and they can witness the renaissance happening across our neighborhoods while contributing their talents to areas of our city needing more attention.”

Each year, CNU members work with the host city to organize and to execute two to four Congress Legacy Projects which identify crucial roadblocks, engage local residents in visioning, and generate top-of-the-line design and placemaking strategies. Through multi-day workshops, CNU members engage with city officials, business owners, developers, neighborhood leaders, and members of the public to form a plan to enhance a corridor, section of a neighborhood, or other land use challenges chosen by the city’s host committee.

“Hosting CNU 27 is both an honor and a remarkable opportunity for Louisville,” Host Committee Chair David Tomes said. “Our city will have the chance to showcase New Urbanist neighborhoods like Norton Commons and Liberty Green, as well as dynamic redevelopment initiatives like Russell, Portland, NuLu, and SoBro, while also focusing worldwide attention on iconic places such as the Cherokee Triangle and Old Louisville. Most important, the visiting leaders of CNU will offer practical proposals to improve the livability of this city we love.”

Louisville’s host committee includes over 100 public officials, community leaders, academics, and representatives from the planning and urban design industries.

For more information on the Congress for the New Urbanism, please visit https://www.cnu.org/