Seaside is a pioneering symbol of the New Urbanism. Designed as a new town in the once rural Florida Panhandle, Seaside recounts a process of rediscovering the tradition of town building and traditional architecture. The numerous architects and town architects who have worked at Seaside have carried on the new living tradition in their work and in their home towns.

Local Urbanist(s): Teofilo Victoria, Ernesto Buch, Tom Christ, Richard Gibbs, Braulio Casas, and Ty Nunn
Begun in: 1980
Status: built
Size: 80 acres

Located in the Florida Panhandle, Seaside is an 80-acre resort community on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. The program for Seaside was originally conceived to approximate the scale and character of historic Southern towns. The Seaside plan proposes traditional American settlement patterns as an alternative to contemporary methods of real estate development. To this end, the retail center was designed as a downtown commercial district; the conference facility doubles as a town hall; and a portion of the recreation budget was dedicated to the creation of small civic amenities, including a chapel, a primary school, a fire station, and a post office, all to be shared by adjacent communities.

A study of towns throughout the American South indicated that a community of genuine variety and authentic character could not be generated by a single architect. Building was therefore given over to a multitude of designers. The public buildings have been designed by architects selected for their known sympathy with the regional vernacular, and the private buildings have been commissioned by the individual buyers. A master plan and zoning code regulate the buildings to ensure the creation of an urban environment similar to that of a small Southern town of the period before 1940. Prior to any construction, these standards were tested several times in university design studios and proved to be workable.

Today, more than 20 years after its inception, Seaside is widely acclaimed, financially successful, and almost completely built-out. It has become a symbol of the New Urbanism, exemplifying the movement’s underlying principles, which can be applied to all urban conditions: the built environment must be diverse in use and population; it must be scaled for the pedestrian yet capable of accommodating the automobile and mass transit; and it must have a well defined public realm supported by an architecture that reflects the ecology and culture of the region.

Ambitious Tome Chronicles the Rise of a New Urbanist Community
Joseph Flaherty, Wired
Visions of Seaside by Dhiru Thadani is an up and coming book describing why the small urbanist town in Florida works.
20121229, Full Article

The storied history of Seaside: Davises talk about building a town together
Deborah Wheeler, The Walton Town
Robert Davis and his wife tell the local chapter of Florida Public Relations Association the story behind seaside. Davis explains how he envision the slow pace life of story tales he grew up for the new community. The town's building code, it was drawn up on a sheet of paper over dinner by Davis and town architect Andres Duany.
2012-11-01, Full Article

A vision for U.S.: More walking, cycling, gardening -- and glad to do it
Rick Hampson, The Town Walk
New Urbanist Andres Duany, describes how the need for more walkable neighborhoods arises with climate change and its what he has invasion.
2012-09-16, Full Article

Postcards from the New World
Trevor Fraser, Orlando Weekly
CNU 20, was a convention of mixed ideas state wide, since held in West Palm Beach the sister of Orlando due to sprawl appearance it was of topic by many talented visionaries.
2012-06-26, Full Article

ถนนสาย 30A มุ่งสู่ดินแดนมหัศจรรย์แห่ง Panhandle
มานิตา เข็มทอง, Goto Manager
Arabic Article pertaining to Seaside mentioning Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and Andres Duany.
2012-06-17, Full Article

Seaside Turns 30!
The Palm Beach Post
Seaside turns 30 since it was established till now it's been seen as a planning masterpiece.
2012-05-21, Full Article

Architect Andrés Duany promotes unbiased democracy in community planning
David Rogers , Palm Beach Daily News
Man-kind is destroying the old instead of restoring it.
2012-04-27 , Full Article

Patient Investing by Developer Allows Seaside to Thrive as New Urban Icon Celebrates 30th Year
Debbie Abrams, Market Watch
A brief real estate description of Seaside, FL a great place to live with all it's amenities in walking distance.
2012-03-16, Full Article

AIA Survey: 10 Best Works of American Architecture Since 1980
American Institute of Architects, 2007

Institute Honors for Urban Design
American Institute of Architects, 1991

"Best of the Decade, 1980s"
Time Magazine, 1991

Golden Aurora Award
Southeast Builders Conference, 1988

National Citation Award for Excellence in Urban Design
American Institute of Architects, Florida Chapter, 1988

Design Award
Connecticut Society of Architects, 1986

Builder's Best Award
Builders Magazine, 1986

Award for Excellence in Architecture
American Institute of Architects, Florida Chapter, 1984

Citation in Urban Design
Progressive Architecture Magazine, 1984

Award of Honor
American Institute of Architects, Florida Southern Chapter, 1983

Seaside, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, USA