FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON: The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) announced today that its Board of Directors has selected Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist as its new President & CEO after a national search. Mayor Norquist will assume the post at the head of the international organization upon his resignation as Mayor at the end of the year. Norquist succeeds Shelley Poticha, the current Executive Director, who is resigning after six years with the organization

"John Norquist is a national figure and a proven leader on issues ranging from transportation reform and urban design to school choice. Under his leadership, Milwaukee has transformed its downtown, revitalized its neighborhoods, and built world class cultural facilities," said Hank Dittmar, Chair of the CNU Board. "We are delighted to have his help in broadening and deepening the influence of the Congress for the New Urbanism."

In appointing Norquist, the Board also reconfigured the post to name him President & CEO, naming him as a member of the Board of Directors in the process. Mayor Norquist is a long time member of the CNU, having been an original signer of the Charter for the New Urbanism. He has served on the organization's volunteer Board since 1994, although he stepped down upon applying for the staff position. The board conducted interviews last week and made the decision Friday.

"While serving as Mayor for more than fifteen years, I've seen the power that urban design has to reform neighborhoods," said Norquist. "I'm delighted to be able to serve the organization that is leading the effort to repair the damage done to cities and countryside by sprawl over the last 50 years. Thousands of cities, suburbs and villages have benefited from ideas generated by the new urbanism. I look forward to working for the organization, leading efforts to restore common sense to the built landscape."

Norquist is the author of The Wealth of Cities (Addison-Wesley, 1998) and has taught courses in urban planning and development at the University of Chicago, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Architecture and Marquette University. In naming Milwaukee America's most underrated city in 2001, the Utne Reader said "Norquist understands what makes cities work as well as anyone." Governing magazine named him Public Official of the year in 1998.

Along with the leadership transition, the CNU will move its headquarters from San Francisco to Chicago over the course of the next year. "Chicago provides better access to our members, and to our growing network of chapters. It's got good transportation connections, great architecture, and many of its neighborhoods and suburbs are revitalizing with new urbanist principles," said Dittmar of the planned move. The Twelfth Congress, which is the annual gathering for the organization, will be held in Chicago on June 24-27, 2004.

The organization's California office will remain open to ensure continuous services to its 2,500 dues-paying members and to the many members of the public who rely on its expertise about accommodating architecture, walkable neighborhoods, and sustainable regions.

The Congress for the New Urbanism a nonprofit organization aimed at re-establishing compact, walkable and environmentally sustainable neighborhoods, cities and towns. The organization was founded in 1993 and represents an international network of over 2,500 individual members from a diverse set of disciplines, including design, development, finance, environment, social equity, and elected office. In its short ten-year history, CNU has helped shape a national conversation about the consequences of growth and helped bring to life an alternative vision for community development and regional sustainability based on the Charter of the New Urbanism.

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The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) is a nonprofit organization aimed at stopping sprawl and re-establishing compact, walkable and environmentally sustainable neighborhoods, cities and towns. We are an international network of over 2,000 individual members from a diverse set of disciplines, including design, development, finance, environment, social equity, and elected office. In our short ten-year history, we have helped shape a national conversation about the consequences of growth and helped bring to life an alternative vision for community development and regional sustainability based on the Charter of the New Urbanism. CNU sponsors annual conferences, known as Congresses, for the sharing and discussion of best practices in New Urbanism. We also work with like-minded leaders and practitioners to remove barriers to building places that create lasting value and treasured community assets