The Citta` Slow, or Slow City movement is relevant to this article, and has moved to add issues of transportation in this focus, but most of what it does, locating things close to source, adding relaxation and mixed use functions to urban living are all relevant. If you are not aware of it you might find it interesting.

http://www.matogmer.no/slow_cities__citta_slow.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cittaslow

New Urbanism is now widely recognised for what it is: (generally) architects who have only a superficial understanding of urban morphology and the patterns and processes of urban development, playing at being 'master planners' with a thinly disguised but totally misguided social engineering agenda. Only architects, typically with no background in property economics or urban geography, sociology and history, could be so naive as to believe porches, footpaths and picket fences by themselves will lead to more social interaction and less car use. Much of New Urbanism is not new at all; it is simply classical neighbourhood planning. The balance is complete nonsense, but promoted with a zeal that would put televangelists to shame.