Date of Graduation

5-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Architecture

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Architecture

Advisor/Mentor

Elberfeld, Nathaniel

Committee Member

Elberfeld, Nathaniel

Second Committee Member

Billig, Noah

Third Committee Member

Kranis, Andrew

Abstract

As urbanization and densification of cities have become undeniable trends of the past few centuries, designers have theorized ways of building the ideal environment for its inhabitants to thrive. These methods include the Garden Cities, Late Modern Housing Estates, and New Urbanism. This study will focus on New Urbanism. Known for its reluctance to embrace new architectural styles and ways of building, incorporating contemporary architectural styles presents a challenge to the future applicability of New Urbanism.

To analyze this issue, this study will leverage the ability of Artificial Intelligence image generation software to evaluate the compatibility of New Urbanism principles with modernist facades through a synthetic image generation process. This simulation will create an opportunity to assess how modernist principles may or may not align with New Urbanist architectural theory, particularly regarding social interaction, pedestrian experience, and neighborhood community building.

This research offers insight into the adaptability of New Urbanism to different architectural preferences while maintaining its comprehensive theory. By scrutinizing the interplay of urban form and façade treatment through AI modeling, this study tests the ability of New Urbanism to maintain its core principles when using contemporary design methods that are atypical in New Urbanist developments.

Using this combination of Modernist facades and New Urbanist setting, this project takes advantage of the opportunity to scrutinize and re-envision the definition of New Urbanist Architecture. This project proposes changes in verbiage that reflect the changing reality of New Urbanist developments that incorporate these contemporary styles and offers ways to update the Congress for New Urbanism’s “building” points.

Keywords

New Urbanism; Artificial Intelligence; AI; Neo-traditionalism; Architecture

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