Southern Urbanism Is No Longer an Oxymoron
Our Founder explains what better development looks like in our region—and why it’s so important.
Written By Aaron Lubeck
For many, the term “Southern urbanism” is a contradiction in terms. We think of New York and Chicago as cities. But Southern cities? It feels like just yesterday, the region was mostly farms. Movies depicting the South still predominantly feature rural settings, and few would list its largest cities among the country’s most iconic. The abundance of truly great urban places throughout the region is relatively new. The whole concept of Southern citybuilding is so recent, it’s disorienting to contextualize. Think of it this way: The South is the last region of the developing world to urbanize.
Of course, the dynamic nature of Southern cities is half the fun of living here. Like it or not, the region is indisputably alive and constantly changing. And that’s what we’re here to discuss.
Today’s South offers the purest representation of the American ideal: It is arguably the most ruggedly individualistic, the most forward-looking, and the most optimistic. Given these qualities, it should come as no surprise why so many are migrating here.
Which brings us to the title of our journal: Why Southern Urbanism? The word urbanism implies inclusiveness, freedom, markets, and choice. It points to cities that are inherently welcoming. The Latin term urbanus means “of or belonging to the city,” but it also translates as “polite, refined, civil, and witty”—all qualities that are synonymous with the idea of being Southern, in one way or another. In this latter case, urbanism need not even be city-based, as inclusive markets and civil wittiness can be practiced in small villages, too, or even in micro-communities. Seen in this way, urbanism is emphatically not limited to the traditional forms of large, old, legacy cities. This recognition is key, because most urban areas of the South are not large, or old, at all. Urbanism can, and does, absolutely exist in new places being built today.
Today’s South has debatable borders. But if we define it as stretching from Virginia to Texas, it actually defies the general presumption and conventional wisdom that it is a rural place. In fact, the South is now the most populous region in the country.
The South has always had a chip on its shoulder, an awareness that other regions see it through a prejudiced lens. But if the numbers mentioned above are any indication, that attitude may have run its course. The South is scrappy, and in the best way possible. More than any other region, it naturally resists big things—corporate or governmental—which serves as an inoculation against the too-big-to-fail enterprises that have sunk great regions of the past. In this sense, today’s South offers the purest representation of the American ideal: It is arguably the most ruggedly individualistic, the most forward-looking, and the most optimistic. Given these qualities, it should come as no surprise why so many are migrating here.
The South’s problems, like its history, are deep and undeniable. While we don’t make any effort to ignore that, in the spirit of citybuilding, the non-profit organization Southern Urbanism is committed to a better tomorrow. We seek to pull no punches in the long-overdue fight to build better cities—for everyone. This effort manifests through support for others, tough love, civic duty, charity, and, of course, grit.
I founded Southern Urbanism Quarterly to foster better citybuilding. We do so in the image of the citizen builder, voicing the local entrepreneurs who build (and rebuild) our cities. They are the ones who make better places, through better design, better businesses, and better policy. All of these are unavoidable prerequisites for better development.
Our publication is written by our fellows in tandem with practitioner experts across the region. In the inaugural issue, we are proud to feature the story of an incremental builder of the smallest scale and how his vision is transforming housing access and affordability. The story of what is unique and important about the New Urbanist movement’s Southern roots. The story of how a simple timing issue may have caused Earth Day to miss an extraordinary opportunity to align the inherently intertwined interests of the natural environment with the built one. And more.
Wherever each author is based, these works exist for the common purpose of building a better South. As we look to that future, we firmly believe that the form of the South’s younger cities should evolve to resemble older cities throughout America and the world. Such cities are desired because they are the antithesis of suburban sprawl. This urbanity, like those cities’ occupants, is more equitable, more flexible, more creative, more entrepreneurial, more inclusive, and stronger.
To our fellow Southerners, read and enjoy. To those who have not yet migrated here, welcome.
Come on down. We have sweet tea.
Aaron Lubeck, Jacobs Columnist, is a new urban builder and land planner in Durham, North Carolina. He is the author of Green Restorations: Sustainable Building in Historic Homes, and a children’s book on Accessory Dwellings entitled Heather Has Two Dwellings, and host of the National Townbuilder Association’s “Townbuilder’s Podcast”. Follow Aaron at @aaron_lubeck
This piece was originally printed in Issue 1 of Southern Urbanism Quarterly.