David Dixon Explores Planning’s “New Norm” at CNU New England Summit
Updated: 4 days ago
As plenary speaker at the 2026 summit, “The New Localism,” Dixon examined how transformative change and uncertain federal support are working together to reshape the context for community planning.
David Dixon FAIA helped open the Congress for the New Urbanism New England chapter’s 2026 Summit, The New Localism, on October 2, 2026, with a featured presentation on the emerging “New Norm” for planning.
His presentation explored how transformative economic, demographic, mobility, and environmental changes are reshaping how communities should plan in the face of declining and unpredictable federal support and funding.
Understanding the “New Norm” in the Context of the New Localism
Dixon’s “New Norm” describes the emerging context in which communities must plan: significant changes across multiple dimensions of community life, combined with less reliable federal resources.
These interconnected forces challenge cities and suburbs to reconsider familiar planning assumptions. Communities must understand how their needs and opportunities are evolving while assessing how to advance local priorities amid uncertainty about outside support.
“The ‘New Norm’—a perfect storm of transformative economic, demographic, mobility, and environmental change—is reshaping how communities should plan to achieve essential goals.” — David Dixon, FAIA
The New Localism
The summit’s theme, “The New Localism”, a term coined by Bruce Katz and Jeremy Nowak
in their 2026 book by the same name, provided a timely setting for this discussion. As communities navigate broad changes with less predictable federal support, local leadership becomes increasingly important in shaping their response.
Dixon’s opening presentation connected the New Norm and New Localism with central questions for planners and civic leaders: How should cities and suburbs alike adapt their planning strategies to manage accelerating change? What new needs and priorities are emerging? What new planning models and implementation strategies will be effective?
Read the related insight: How the New Norm Is Reshaping the Context for Planning Downtown →
