Advancing Latino Inclusion in Architecture, Construction, and Urban Planning
CNU Latino advances Latino inclusion in architecture, construction, development, and urban planning within the New Urbanism movement. As cities evolve, the professionals shaping them must reflect the diversity of the communities they serve. Our work ensures Latino participation is fully integrated into the conversations, projects, and policies that define the built environment.
Who We Are
We are a professional network within the Congress for the New Urbanism committed to expanding Latino inclusion across the built environment. Our members include architects, builders, engineers, planners, developers, executives, and industry professionals working at multiple levels of influence. We are united by the belief that inclusive participation strengthens urban outcomes and deepens the integrity of the movement.
Press Features
Mission Statement
CNU Latino advances New Urbanism by bringing Latino voices, urban traditions, cultural knowledge, and lived experiences into the planning, design, development, and public policy decisions that shape our communities. As part of CNU, we promote human-scaled, connected, accessible, and culturally rooted places where people can participate in public life, meet their everyday needs, and benefit from great urbanism.
Core Values
1. Partnership, Not Paternalism
Latino communities should be recognized as partners in shaping their neighborhoods, not as populations that need to be rescued or managed. Their purchasing power, entrepreneurship, property ownership, and investment already shape cities and local economies. They deserve a meaningful role in determining how their communities grow and develop.
2. Lived Experience Is Expertise
Latino planners, designers, business owners, community leaders, and residents bring valuable knowledge shaped by professional training and lived experience. CNU Latino promotes hiring, supporting, and creating opportunities for Latinos to contribute their expertise to the work of planning, designing, and building cities.
3. From Participation to Leadership
CNU Latino makes planning, zoning, development, and public policy easier to understand and navigate. We prepare more Latinos to advocate for their communities, serve on boards and commissions, enter related professions, and become decision-makers.
CNU Latino works to broaden access and opportunity within architecture, construction, and planning sectors. We foster professional connections, elevate Latino expertise, and promote equitable participation in projects and partnerships. Through dialogue, collaboration, and engagement within the Congress for the New Urbanism, we strengthen the presence of Latino professionals across the movement and ensure their contributions are recognized and integrated.
Our Place Within the Movement
As part of the Congress for the New Urbanism, CNU Latino aligns with principles of walkable neighborhoods, sustainable development, and human-centered design. We reinforce that mission by expanding inclusion within the professional sectors that drive it. Our work supports a movement that is not only innovative in design but also inclusive in participation.