Do you love cities?
We do.

If you love cities and are interested in hearing what the future holds, Delray Beach Mayor Cary Glickstein invites you to attend a free lecture, tonight, Dec. 2 at 6 p.m. at the Crest Theatre, 51 N. Swinton Ave.

Visionary architect Andres Duany, known world- wide as one of the fathers of “new urbanism” will offer a provocative talk entitled “A Century For Cities – Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”.

The talk is part of a new series of town hall meetings curated by Glickstein who recently held a session on the state of education in Delray. Last week, he announced an ambitious lecture series that will feature top thought leaders on a variety of subjects ranging from parking and smart growth to urban design and transportation.

All lectures are free.

Duany is a particularly compelling figure. Along with his wife, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Duany is a pioneer in the new urbanist movement which essentially calls for a return to some of the traditions of early American towns—town squares, compact development, walkability and yes the dreaded word, density.

New urbanism was developed as an answer to suburban sprawl and urban disinvestment.

One of Duany’s signature projects is Seaside, Florida in the Panhandle. The picturesque community has earned widespread acclaim for its architecture and pedestrian orientation. Critics say it wasn’t dense enough and therefore wasn’t sustainable economically. As a result, Seaside has become a popular vacation and second home destination, but the community doesn’t have the economies of scale to support a true, live, work, play lifestyle.

Regardless, it’s influence has been immense and several communities strive to mimic Seaside’s stunning design.

Duany is a founding principal of Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company which has designed over 300 new towns while also working on regional plans and community revitalization projects. Their codes have been adopted throughout the world.

Duany has lectured internationally and is the co-author of three books including his most recent on smart growth. He is a founder of the Congress of New Urbanism and has won several prestigious awards for his architecture and planning work.