New Urbanism, Smart Growth, Sustainability, Urban Design

Sustainability

improving the quality of people’s lives while living within the capacities of supporting natural and human systems

development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

triple bottom line / three P’s: people, planet, profit

three E’s: environmental, equity, economic

APA Sustainability Policy Framework

1. livable built environment

2. harmony with nature

3. resilient economy

4. interwoven equity

5. healthy community

6. responsible regionalism

Smart Growth

covers a range of development and conservation strategies that help protect our health and natural environment and make our communities more attractive, economically stronger, and more socially diverse

New Urbanism

a planning and development approach based on the principles of how cities and towns had been built for the last several centuries: walkable blocks and streets, housing and shopping in close proximity, and accessible public spaces

Smart Growth and New Urbanism Commonalities

• mixed use development

• build more dense and compact

• walkability

• fostering sense of place

• connecting environmental features

• impact of planning on public health

• multi-modal transportation

• human-scale development

Smart Growth and New Urbanism Differences

smart growth:

• began as env planning initiative

• federal support from EPA, HUD, DOT

• agenda 21

new urbanism:

• began as urban design movement

• initiated by urban designers and architects as a response to the post-WWII, auto-centric, sprawling development patterns in the us

• looks to pre-WWII development patterns for inspiration

• ebenezer howard garden cities of to-morrow

Agenda 21

a comprehensive, non-binding United Nations action plan for sustainable development, designed to guide global, national, and local efforts to balance economic growth, social equity, and environmental protection.

linked to smart growth

History of New Urbanism

garden cities of to-morrow authored by ebenezer howard

initiated the garden cities movement in england

Garden City Characteristics

self-contained communities surrounded by greenbelts containing proportionate areas of residences, industry, and agriculture

house 32,000 people on a site of 6,000 acres\

planned in concentric pattern with open spaces, public parks, and six radial boulevards

John Nolen

• landscape architect

• designed mariemont, OH, madison, WI, and university of wisconsin at madison

• first comprehensive plan for st petersburg, FL

• now town plan for venice, FL

• adapted garden cities and made them more modern and to be supported by mass transit

Jane Jacobs

civic activist

authored the death and life of great american cities

pushed back on 1960s style urban renewal, calling for return to pre-war development patterns

Kevin Lynch

• urban planner

• authored the image of the city (1960)

• did a 5-year study on how people create mental maps of a city

  • 5 characteristics of how people do this include: paths, edges, districts, nodes, landmarks

New Urbanism Names to Remember

• congress of the new urbanism (CNU)

• andres duany

• elizabeth plater-zyberg

• peter calthorpe

• daniel solomon

• elizabeth moule

• stefanos polyzoides

Peter Calthorpe

• founding member of congress of the new urbanism (CNU)

• transit oriented development (TOD)

  • published in 1993 book, the new american metropolis

• mixed uses are generally built centered around and within ¼ to ½ mile of a transit stop

Traditional Neighborhood Design (TND/new traditional)

• a planning concept that creates compact, mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods modeled after early 20th-century American villages

• neighborhood has a discernable center

• most of dwellings are within 5 min walk of center or ¼ miles

• shops and offices at edge of neighborhood

• an elementary school is close enough that kids can walk from home + playgrounds

• gridded treelined streets

• rich chellman, norman stahl, andreas duany and scott brooks

Hybrid Code

• combines use-based zoning and form-based elements

• can be applied to compact and walkable development or existing suburban development

• can be a good solution for a town with both walkable, pre-WWII and suburban automobile-dependent development

Form-Based Code

• focuses on form and design, rather than separation of uses

• works best for pre-WWII development (walkable and compact)

• new towns and villages (seaside, FL)

• can be difficult to apply form-based code to existing surburban development, developed under Euclidian zoning rules

SmartCode

• the rural to urban transect zones T1-T6

• T1 zone: natural zone

• T6 zone: urban core zone

Patrick Geddes

• graphically illustrated human settlement and the impact on the land for which it is suited, known as the “valley section”

• biologist, sociologist, Comtean positivist, geographer, philanthropist and pioneering town planner

• woodman, hunter, shepherd, peasant, gardener, fisher

Form-Based Code Street Design

• interconnected

• hierarchical

• alleys

• multiple route options

• fewer curb cuts due to alley access

• absence of culdesacs

Form-Based Code 5 Main Elements

• regulating plan: plan of the regulated area where different bldg form standards apply

• public standards

• building standards

• administration: administration clearly defined and streamlined application and project review process

• definitions: a glossary to ensure the precise use of technical terms

New Urbanism - Seaside, FL

• duany plater-zyberk (DPZ codesign)

• discernable neighborhood center green

• higher intensity, public uses at core

• mix of housing

• walkable within ¼ to ½ mile of neighbhorhood center

New Urbanism Creative Class

• coined by richard florida

• creative class: emergent socioeconomic class made up of knowledge workers, intellectuals, and artists

• connection to new urbanism

• asserts that cities that attract creative class prosper, while those that dont, stagnate or decline

• creative class prefers the kind of lively, mixed use, pedestrian friendly cities proposed by new urbanist principles

Biophilic Design

• biophilia: innate desire of human beings to be connected to living things

• biophilic design asserts that the positive experience of natural systems and processes in our buildings and built environment is critical to human health, performance, and well-being

• “urban greening should include the preservation, conservation and celebration of natural life forms” - timothy beatly, biophilic cities, 2010

Universal Design

• the design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed, understood, and used to the greatest extent possible by people regardless of the age, size, ability, or disability

• applying the architectural concept of ADA accessibility to the public realm

Walking Audit

• community walkability tool, diagnosing obstacles to walking, biking, access to transit, and universal design (ADA access for public realm)

• community goes out walking with perspective of pedestrian

• pioneered by dan burden, former FDOT engineer

WalkScore

a numerical rating from 0 to 100 that measures how walkable a location is, based on the proximity of daily amenities and ease of walking to them.

Connectivity Index

• calculated by dividing the number of links by the number of nodes

• connectivity index = # of links / # of nodes

• links are stretches of roadway that connect nodes

• nodes exist at street intersections and culdesac heads

• score of 1.4 is the minimum needed for a walkable community

Sidewalk Assessment

• a google street view/maps assessment for sidewalk planning combines street view imagery and the measure distance tool to evaluate the presence, width and condition of pedestrian infrastructure

• google street view does this by identifying missing sidewalks, estimating sidewalk width, assessing condition, and analyzing surrounding context

Urban Design Committee (UDC)

• an advisory board to the planning commission that reviews development on public property or in the public right of way

• UDC might provide formal evaluation of a proposed development project

• review assesses aspects like arch design, materials, landscaping, and neighborhood integration and provides feedback to developers early in the design process

7 Principles of Urban Design

1. character

2. continuity and enclosure

3. quality of public realm

4. ease of movement

5. legibility

6. adaptability

7. diversity

Creative Placemaking

a process where community members, artists, arts and culture orgs, community developers, and other stakeholders use arts and cultural strategies to implement community-led change