CNU New York is the statewide chapter of the Congress for New Urbanism (CNU). Since 1991, the CNU has worked for the development of walkable and sustainable cities, towns, and neighborhoods and against the spread of auto-based sprawl. Our charter says,

The Congress for the New Urbanism views disinvestment in central cities, the spread of placeless sprawl, increasing separation by race and income, environmental deterioration, loss of agricultural lands and wilderness, and the erosion of society's built heritage as one interrelated community-building challenge.

CNU stands for the restoration of existing urban centers and towns within coherent metropolitan regions, the reconfiguration of sprawling suburbs into communities of real neighborhoods and diverse districts, the conservation of natural environments, and the preservation of our built legacy.

The CNU and CNU New York have worked with the U.S. Green Buildings Council and the Natural Resources Defense Council to create LEED for Neighborhood Development, the first rating system to certify that a development's location and design achieve a high level of environmental responsibility.