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| History In the spring of 2001, a major topic of discussion for New Urbanists around the country revolved around whether the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) should form local or regional chapters. Participating in this  discussion were Joyce Marin, a Borough Council member from Emmaus, and Will Selman, a land planner in Lancaster. They decided to gather together a small group of like-minded New Urbanists, and began meeting over the summer of 2001, at Joyce's home in Emmaus.While numerous such groups have sprung up around the nation, these have generally consisted of informal chat sessions and discussion groups. The series of informal meetings in Emmaus centered on whether Pennsylvania could benefit from something more structured and purposeful. Given the serious nature of sprawl in the state, and the rare opportunity that Pennsylvania has with its New Urbanist enabling legislation, an easy decision was made to create the Association for the New Urbanism in Pennsylvania (ANUPA). The organization holds quarterly meetings around central and eastern Pennsylvania, with each meeting focused around a particular topic and guest speaker. The first meeting, held in West Chester in August of 2001, was principally intended to solicit ideas and issues of concern from interested parties.  The second meeting, held in Doylestown the following January, featured a presentation by Rep. Bob Freeman of Easton, who spoke on the state New Urbanist enabling legislation in the Municipal Planning Code, which he authored. The third meeting, held in Lancaster in April of 2002, focused on the creation of a TND ordinance, and the development of TND projects. Each of these meetings saw an increase in attendance, from 28, to 40, to 50 at the most recent gathering. Our next meeting will be held at Eagleview in Exton, Saturday October 12.Photo's by Dan Johnson | Philadelphia Inquirer |