Premodern, Modern, Postmodern? Placing New Urbanism into a Historical Perspective

This study explores New Urbanism as part of a contemporary cultural paradigm referred to as postmodernism. By highlighting the complex relationship between New Urbanist design prescriptions and earlier urban development approaches from the premodern and modern periods, I reflect on some seemingly paradoxical aspects of both New Urbanism and postmodernism. Specifically, I argue that whereas New Urbanism rejects the key design tenets of modernist planning and strives to revive premodern urban forms (and in this sense qualifies as “postmodern”), it contradicts one of the foundational premises of postmodern thought—the commitment to pluralism. I further argue that this contradiction relates to a fundamental challenge facing New Urbanists planners: how to achieve premodern urban design ideals within the economic and technological conditions of contemporary society. I illustrate these themes and contradictions with examples of historic and recent planning in the Cleveland region.