Founded by Dover, Kohl & Partners principal and Director of Design James Dougherty in 2012, the CNU Art Room is a special tradition at Congress for the New Urbanism gatherings. This year in Providence, Rhode Island, the tradition continues! Interested in designing? sketching? composing illustrations? In the Art Room, we host hands-on, close-up workshops featuring leading practitioners of the New Urbanism. All skill levels are welcome; no previous experience in drawing or illustration is required. This year, we are focusing on town planning skills at a wide range of scales, in addition to sketching & illustration techniques. Scroll down for the schedule.
Ashleigh Walton of UDA leads a session in last year’s CNU Art Room
This year’s edition of the Art Room will be extra special because it coincides with the launch of The Art of the New Urbanism, Vol. 1, 1980-2010, a new book published by Wiley, showcasing the work of over 100 artists and designers. All royalties from the book go to the Congress for the New Urbanism, a nonprofit organization.
“A lovely, inspirational book.”
Beth Dunlop, former Miami Herald architecture critic
“New Urbanists have long understood the power of art – it’s their secret weapon.” Emily Talen, University of Chicago
“There is finally a compilation of the full range of visualization approaches at a level of excellence that can only be described as art.” Nathan Norris, Principal, CityBuilding Partnership
“This book is a treasure trove!” Ellen Dunham-Jones, author of Retrofitting Suburbia
“This beautiful book is a testament to the remarkable progress of New Urbanism as a critical reform movement.” Michael Mehaffey, Executive Director, Lennard Institute/IMCL
“Bottom line: The lessons in this book will make you a better designer, planner, and place maker.” Mitchell Silver, former president of the American Planning Association
“This will make anyone who has an interest in the built environment say 'wow, wow, wow'." Rob Steuteville, Director of Publications, CNU.
CNU ART ROOM SCHEDULE
The Biltmore Ballroom at the Graduate Hilton Providence
THURSDAY June 12, 2025:
10:15am-11:30am
1. Observing and Analyzing the City: Plein Air Techniques
Hand drawing is a powerful tool to assist seeing and understanding the built environment. Grab your sketch pad, brushes, digital tablets and other graphic tools of choice as we learn techniques for observational sketching and painting in the field. This session will focus on urban structure, architectural elements, streetscapes and individual buildings. Leading practitioners will provide helpful tips and demonstrations of techniques.
1:15pm-2:15pm
2. Physical Design at the Scale of the Region
For New Urbanists, physical design is a critical component of the regional planning process (not just written policy). In this interactive hands-on session, learn techniques for utilizing drawing and cartography to analyze and organize the physical world at the scale of the region.
2:30pm-3:45pm
3. Neighborhood Design
The New Urbanism is all about crafting great neighborhoods for people. In this exciting session you’ll get to take a site, roll up your sleeves, grab drawing supplies and then learn step-by-step how to design your first neighborhood.
4:00pm-5:00pm
4. Block Design
Blocks are fundamental to neighborhood design, and their details matter. In this session we will use sketching to analyze key block types and their elements, from simple to complex. Our discussion will include opportunities and principles for the design of mid-block urbanism.
5:15pm-6:00pm
The Art of New Urbanism Book Launch / Signing / Reception
Hear how and why the book was created, and meet many of the artists!
FRIDAY June 13, 2025:
9:00am-10:00am
5. Classic American Urban Building Design
Have you wondered how in historic American cities, building after building was designed to such a consistently high degree of excellence and harmony – from the large urban forms, down to the small details? Building facades with highly individual personalities sit side-by-side and cooperate visually to create wonderfully harmonious urban spaces. Would you like to know how to employ these design techniques today? Together, let’s examine great architectural examples from Providence. Prepare to roll up your sleeves!
10:15am-11:45am
6. Urban Design Illustration: Principles and Workflows
The New Urbanism has dramatically transformed the way illustrations are used to advance the dialogue of community planning and place making. In this session, learn key principles and workflows to produce compelling urban design illustrations from some of the movement’s leading practitioners.
Painting by perennial Art Room contributor Arti Harchekar
