$600m urban plan takes buyers back to the future.

Imagine living in a place where shopping, health clubs and playgrounds are all within walking distance; where streets are lined with front doors, porches and small gardens; where children play safely in building-oriented courtyards and neighbors chat on quiet benches.

Envision such a living environment situated along a picturesque waterfront, with the bustling city center just blocks away.

That is the dream of the New Urbanism design movement--a dream that combines the openness of suburban living with the conveniences of an urban environment.

And that is the emerging reality at The Landings at HarborSide, a 49-acre redevelopment project in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. The Landings is being developed by Landings at HarborSide, LLC and constructed under the direction of Sam Gershwin, president of Westminster Communities, the development arm of Kushner Companies.

New Urbanism has its origins in the late 1980s and early 1990s, arising as a reaction to urban sprawl. "It is, in many senses, a return to the notion of how cities used to be built--with housing, work places, shops, entertainment, schools, and parks all integrated and within easy walking distance of each other," Gershwin said.

"New Urbanism is really about providing people with the kind of lifestyle that preceded today's over-dependence on the automobile," explained Ted Liebman of The Liebman Melting Partnership, the New York-based architectural design firm that is the project-wide architect and master planner for The Landings at HarborSide.

"It's not about creating a gated community," Liebman said. It's about creating a real urban community with pedestrian-friendly streets, trees, recreation areas and an accessible downtown. It's about a place that encourages people to leave their cars behind and go out on foot to socialize, relax, shop and play."

The Landings at HarborSide is based on a comprehensive eight-year, $600 million plan incorporating residential and retail development, recreation, parks, a marina and a future hotel site, resulting in vital mixed-used neighborhoods joined by a common waterfront and an integrated transportation system.

The signing of The Landings at HarborSide redevelopment agreement in September 2000 marked the beginning of one of the largest comprehensive redevelopment projects in the United States between a private developer and a city. The choice of Perth Amboy as the setting for this development was a perfect fit for the New Urbanism philosophy, helping to revitalize a historic urban area, melding old and new into a seamless whole.

Eventually, The Landings will have more than 2,000 families living in an assortment of low-rise condominiums, waterfront townhouses, duplexes and triplexes.

"There will be clusters of buildings around raised, communal courtyards, where toddlers will be free to wander, older kids will play, and adults will come out to socialize," Liebman said.

"Cars will be parked in garages beneath the courtyards, secure and out of sight. More than 60 percent of the units will have their own private entrances so that when you walk down the street, you walk past front porches and gardens, rather than brick walls or garage doors. A waterfront esplanade will tie the whole area together and include plazas for special events, a small amphitheater and a community building for indoor activities. There will be parks, restaurants, and retail establishments."

The new Sales and Marketing Center for The Landings at HarborSide will open this spring, providing potential residents with the opportunity to experience the New Urbanism community first-hand.

The Center will be marketing the first Neighborhood of townhouses, luxury condominiums, shops, gardens and amenities now under construction. Phase I will include 462 units in five residential complexes.