Urban Planning Midterm

Permeability (of streets and neighborhoods)

measure of how easily pedestrians + cyclists move thru urban environment based on intersections and routes. high permeability = walkability and connectivity, contrasts with suburban cul-de-sac layouts

Legibility (of urban landscape)

Kevin Lynch concept (Image of the City) of how easily people mentally map + navigate a city using 5 elements (paths, edges, districts, nodes, landmarks). creates intuitive and safe streetscapes

Folded Map Project

Tonika Lewis Johnson project pairing residents at matching N and S Side Chicago addresses. exposes how redlining + segregation create unequal realities on the exact same grid

Shrinking Cities

post-industrial cities (Detroit, Cleveland) with severe population loss + economic decline. forces planners to right-size infrastructure, land bank vacant lots, and manage a shrinking tax base

Home GR/OWN (Milwaukee)

Milwaukee program turning city-owned vacant lots in disinvested areas into pocket parks + orchards. models land banking and green infrastructure in a shrinking city

Housing Wage (Out of reach Study)

hourly wage a full-time worker needs to afford a 2-bedroom rental without spending over 30% of income (cost-burdened). shows gap between minimum wage and actual housing costs

Farm Zero, Chicago

indoor vertical farm inside a vacant downtown Chicago office floor. highlights urban agriculture (fewer food miles) + adaptive reuse of post-pandemic commercial space

Kampung Admiralty (Singapore)

vertical mixed-use public housing stacking healthcare, senior housing, hawker food center, and rooftop park. global model for vertical urbanism + biophilic multigenerational design

Spanish Laws of the Indies

1573 Spanish royal ordinances regulating colonial town layouts in the Americas. earliest codified master plans in Western Hemisphere, mandating central plazas + rectilinear grids

Hull House and Jane Addams

1889 Chicago settlement house providing immigrant social services while mapping housing + labor conditions. makes Addams a founder of community-based social planning + urban mapping

City Beautiful Movement

turn-of-20th-century movement (Daniel Burnham, 1893 Chicago World's Fair) using monumental neoclassical design + boulevards to inspire civic virtue. birthed master planning but ignored working-class housing

Ebenezer Howard and Garden Cities

late-1800s model of self-contained towns surrounded by agricultural greenbelts, blending urban jobs with rural nature. foundation for regional planning + New Towns

1916 Zoning Resolution (NYC)

1st comprehensive US zoning code, sparked by Equitable Building shadows + factory encroachment. regulated height setbacks + separated uses, creating wedding-cake skyscraper forms

Levittown

post-WWII mass-produced suburb built with assembly-line methods + FHA/VA subsidies. catalyst for suburban sprawl, car dependency, and racially exclusive wealth building

Restrictive Covenants (Racial Covenants)

private deed clauses legally barring home sales to racial minorities (unenforceable after Shelley v. Kraemer 1948). shows how private real estate enforced segregation

HOLC (Home Owners' Loan Corporation)

1933 New Deal agency that mapped neighborhood mortgage risk from A (green) to D (red) by race. origin of redlining, starving minority areas of capital while funding white flight

Willis Carrier

invented modern electrical air conditioning in 1902. catalyzed post-WWII population shift from Rust Belt to Sunbelt + killed vernacular passive cooling (porches, cross-ventilation)

Interstate Highway Act of 1956

Eisenhower law funding 41,000 miles of expressways (90% federal gas tax). primary driver of suburban sprawl, car dependency, and destruction of Black urban neighborhoods

Vinegar Hill (Charlottesville)

thriving Black Charlottesville neighborhood razed in 1965 under federal Urban Renewal slum clearance. local case study of Black business displacement + spatial scars near Downtown Mall

Border Vacuums

Jane Jacobs term for massive single-use zones (highways, tracks, campuses) that kill foot traffic along their edges. planners stitch these barriers back together with active mixed uses

Density (V. Overcrowding)

Jane Jacobs distinction where density = housing units or people per acre, while overcrowding = too many people per room due to poverty. early planners confused them and razed vibrant dense areas

Barcelona’s Superblocks

mobility strategy grouping 9-block grid sections to push through-traffic to perimeter roads and reclaim interior streets for people. reallocates street space without demolishing buildings

Salesforce Park (San Francisco)

5.4-acre elevated public rooftop park atop SF transit center. models multi-layered infrastructure combining regional transit hubs with restorative biophilic green space

11th Street Bridge Park (Washington, DC)

elevated park on old bridge piers linking affluent Capitol Hill with Anacostia. gold standard for preventing green gentrification via Community Land Trusts + anti-displacement plans before building

Transfer of Development Rights (TDR)

zoning tool letting preservation-area owners (farmland, landmarks) sell unused building rights to developers in growth zones. steers density to transit while preserving open space

Portland, OR

premier US regional planning model known for its 1970s Urban Growth Boundary (UGB), Metro regional gov, light rail, and freeway removal. shows how linking land use + transit stops sprawl

Upzoning

changing zoning codes to allow higher density, taller buildings, or mixed uses in low-density areas (ending single-family-only zoning). boosts housing supply + affordability near transit

Brownfields, Greyfields, and Greenfields

brownfields = contaminated industrial sites, greyfields = dead asphalt strip malls, greenfields = undeveloped farmland or nature. sustainable planning prioritizes brownfield + greyfield infill

Toronto

N. American planning model known for transit-oriented nodal growth, waterfront revitalization, green roof bylaws, and retrofitting suburban towers. models metro-scale governance + green policy

Charlottesville’s FLUM (Future Land Use Map)

visual core of Charlottesville Comprehensive Plan guiding zoning changes for higher density + mixed-use corridors. translates community equity + housing goals into spatial policy

Role of Weak and Strong Ties

Granovetter theory where strong ties = close friends and weak ties = casual street acquaintances. aligns with Jane Jacobs sidewalk ballet, proving walkable public spaces build community trust + resilience

Boulder, CO

pioneered 1st sales-tax-funded greenbelt (1967) + strict residential growth caps. illustrates environmental paradox where stopping sprawl without allowing infill spikes housing prices + increases regional commuting

Vancouver, BC

model for Vancouverism (narrow high-rise towers atop walkable low-rise podiums). preserves mountain views + street life while achieving high-density family living without urban freeways

EcoDensity

2008 Vancouver charter using strategic density + gentle infill (laneway houses, ADUs) to shrink carbon footprints. leverages density as a tool for climate action + affordability

Copenhagen, Denmark

sustainable urbanism benchmark guided by 1947 Finger Plan (rail corridors + green wedges) and Jan Gehl pedestrianization. proves cold cities can achieve massive bike mode share via protected infrastructure

The 100 Year Life

demographic shift toward longer lifespans replacing the 3-stage life with fluid multi-stage living. requires planners to design housing + transit for lifelong mobility and multigenerational living

15-Minute City

Carlos Moreno concept (used in Paris) where all daily needs (work, food, health, school, leisure) are within a 15-min walk or bike ride. replaces car-centric single-use zoning with hyper-local polycentric neighborhoods

The Not So Big House (Sarah Susanka)

architectural movement favoring smaller, well-designed homes with flexible spaces over massive McMansions. promotes sustainable housing by cutting energy use, materials, and lot sizes

Quinta Monroy (Alejandro Aravena)

Chilean social housing using incremental housing, building half a good concrete home so low-income families can expand the framed void themselves. empowers residents to build equity without displacement

Ageing in Place

ability of seniors to live safely + independently in their own homes and communities as they age. supported in planning via universal design, transit, walkable streets, and ADUs

Granny Pods

small prefabricated, medically equipped backyard ADUs on a caregiver property for aging relatives. gentle-density zoning fix for affordable eldercare + family proximity

Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs)

neighborhoods or apartments not built for seniors that evolve to have high senior populations. allows planners to efficiently target localized healthcare, transit, and social services

Beacon Hill Village

grassroots Boston non-profit where seniors pay annual dues to pool resources, volunteers, and home care. models how community social infrastructure enables aging in place

Form-Based Codes

zoning alternative to Euclidean (use-based) zoning that regulates physical building form, scale, and street frontage instead of separating uses. creates predictable, walkable mixed-use streets

Visual Preference Surveys (VPS)

participatory tool where residents score photos of different streetscapes + building types. helps planners bypass zoning jargon and build visual consensus on community character

Inclusionary Housing Requirements (Inclusionary Zoning)

ordinances requiring or incentivizing developers to make 10-20% of new market-rate units affordable, often via density bonuses. builds economically integrated neighborhoods without public construction

NYC’s Local Law 18 (restricting short term rentals)

2023 NYC law requiring Airbnb hosts to register, live in the unit during stays, and cap guests at 2. stops investors from turning long-term housing stock into tourist hotels

NYC’s City of Yes

sweeping NYC zoning reform legalizing ADUs, ending parking minimums, and allowing office-to-residential conversions + Missing Middle infill. modern comprehensive zoning reform to boost housing supply

Community Land Trust

non-profit that buys and holds land permanently while selling or leasing homes atop it with resale caps. removes land from speculative market for permanent affordability + anti-displacement

Manufactured Housing

factory-built homes on permanent chassis under HUD code, largest source of unsubsidized US affordable housing. requires zoning protection + resident-owned co-ops to stop predatory trailer park evictions

Boxabl (manufactured housing)

startup mass-producing foldable modular studio homes (Casitas) that ship flat and unfold in hours. shows promise of off-site factory construction to cut labor costs + rapidly deploy ADUs

Mass Timber (e.g. Heartwood in Seattle)

engineered wood (like Cross-Laminated Timber) replacing high-carbon steel + concrete in mid/high-rise buildings (Heartwood workforce housing). decarbonizes construction, stores carbon, and adds biophilic design

Dutch hofje

medieval Dutch typology of small almshouses clustered around a quiet, gated central courtyard. historic ancestor of modern pocket neighborhoods + senior social housing balancing privacy with community

Pocket Neighborhoods and Cottage Housing

4-12 small cottages clustered around a shared garden commons with perimeter parking (Ross Chapin). ideal Missing Middle infill adding gentle density + social ties in single-family zones

Cohousing (e.g. Bakken, Trudeslund, NyLand)

Danish intentional housing model where private homes cluster around walkways + a shared Common House (shared meals, laundry). site design + governance cure suburban isolation and cut resource use

Village Homes (Davis, CA)

1970s eco-subdivision in CA with passive solar orientation, narrow streets, natural bioswales, and edible commons. foundational model for ecological site design that cools streets, prevents flooding, and builds community

New Urbanism (e.g. Kentlands, Celebration)

1990s movement rejecting sprawl for Traditional Neighborhood Development (walkable grids, porches, mixed uses, alleys). revived pedestrian codes, though greenfield sites often stay pricey and car-dependent

Freeway Park (Seattle)

1976 brutalist park by Lawrence Halprin capping a trench of I-5 in downtown Seattle. pioneering US freeway lid stitching back together neighborhoods severed by mid-century highways

Cheonggyecheon River (Seoul)

Seoul project demolishing a 16-lane elevated highway to daylight a buried 3.6-mile stream into a linear park. proves highway removal cuts traffic (evaporated traffic), cools urban heat by 3.6°C, and sparks eco-revival

Ultra Small Vehicles (USVs)

compact lightweight electric micro-cars (Citroen Ami) for 1-2 passengers on low-speed urban trips. bridges micromobility + cars while shrinking parking footprints, emissions, and crash lethality

Trackless Trams

rubber-tired electric multi-car transit guided by optical sensors + GPS along painted virtual tracks. gives mid-sized cities light-rail capacity + ride quality at low BRT construction costs

Tap-and-Pay systems (as in NYC)

contactless transit payment (NYC OMNY) using regular bank cards or phones with automatic weekly fare capping. speeds up boarding and gives low-income riders bulk-pass discounts without upfront costs

Free buses

fare-free transit policy treating buses as public goods like libraries. speeds up all-door boarding, ends fare policing, and helps low-income riders, though cities must fund operations so frequency stays high

Complete Streets

policy + design requiring streets to be safe and accessible for all ages and modes (pedestrians, bikes, transit, cars) instead of just car throughput (LOS). shifts street engineering toward multimodal equity

Road Diet

converting a 4-lane undivided road into 3 lanes (1 travel lane each way + center turn lane + bike lanes/refuge islands). low-cost retrofit that calms speeds and cuts crashes by up to 47% without hurting capacity

School Streets

temporarily closing streets around schools to cars during drop-off and pick-up times. eliminates chaotic parent traffic, cuts kids' tailpipe pollution exposure, and builds active walking/biking habits

Hardened Daylighting

clearing parked cars 20 ft from crosswalks to open sightlines (daylighting) + adding physical barriers like boulders or bike corrals (hardening). cheap Vision Zero tool that stops corner-cutting and saves pedestrians

Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA)

in-car GPS + camera tech that detects speed limits and alerts drivers or caps engine power (used in EU + NYC fleets). tech enforcement tool to stop lethal urban speeding

Tactical Urbanism

short-term, low-cost citizen or city interventions (paint, planters, chairs) to test long-term street changes (Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper). bypasses bureaucratic delays by testing designs in real time before pouring concrete

Naked Streets and Intersections

Hans Monderman Shared Space concept removing lights, signs, lanes, and curbs. psychological uncertainty forces drivers to slow down and negotiate with pedestrians via human eye contact

Intersection Repair

Portland placemaking practice (City Repair) where neighbors paint giant street intersection murals + add benches and tea kiosks. turns sterile cross-streets into slow social gathering nodes (piazzas)

Build a Better Block

2010 Dallas grassroots project temporarily adding painted bike lanes, cafes, and pop-up shops over one weekend while ignoring restrictive city codes. blueprint for community demos that force cities to update archaic laws

Guerilla Wayfinding

tactical intervention (Matt Tomasulo) zip-tying unofficial signs on poles showing walk/bike times to nearby spots. nudges residents by proving destinations are closer on foot than car drivers think

Mental Speedbumps

psychological traffic calming (David Engwicht) using street-edge activity, quirky art, or trees close to curbs to break driver autopilot. subconsciously signals drivers are entering a human habitat so they slow down

Parklets

mini public seating platforms built inside 1-2 metered parking spaces (started by Rebar on SF Mission St / PARKing Day). shows huge social value of reallocating 160 sq ft of car storage to people

34th Avenue Open Street (New York City)

1.3-mile street in park-poor Jackson Heights, Queens, closed to through-traffic 12 hrs/day during COVID (Paseo Park). flagship example of emergency street reallocation becoming a permanent linear community park

Culdesac (carfree neighborhood in Tempe, AZ)

1st modern purpose-built car-free US neighborhood in Tempe, AZ, along light rail where leases ban resident cars. proves dropping parking minimums lets developers trade 50% asphalt for walkable courtyards in the Sunbelt

Last Mile Problem

transit bottleneck of getting between a train/bus stop and a final destination when it is too far to walk (+0.5 miles). unsolved, it pushes people to drive, making bikeshare + micromobility vital transit feeders

Micromobility

lightweight low-speed single-person vehicles under 20 mph (bikes, e-bikes, e-scooters). cleanest, most space-efficient fix for short urban trips + the Last Mile Problem when paired with protected lanes

Miami's Underline

10-mile linear park and trail built directly beneath the elevated Miami Metrorail viaduct. models adaptive reuse of dead infrastructure undercrofts (lost space) into safe active transit + ecological corridors

Brickline Greenway (St Louis)

10-mile St. Louis greenway network linking Forest Park to the Arch while connecting segregated N and S neighborhoods. models equity-driven green infrastructure healing historic racial divides (Delmar Divide)

Ciclovía (Bogotá)

Bogota program (since 1974) closing 75+ miles of highways/streets to cars every Sunday for millions of cyclists and walkers. democratic social equalizer promoting public health that inspired Open Streets globally

Vélib Bicycles, Paris

massive municipal Paris bikeshare launched in 2007. popularized 3rd-gen automated bikeshare globally and proved shared bikes can act as a formal 4th pillar of mass transit

Capital City Bikeshare

publicly owned regional bikeshare across DC, VA, and MD (1st multi-jurisdictional US system). studied for regional governance, transit integration, and $5/year low-income equity memberships

Parks Rx

movement where doctors write formal prescriptions for time in local parks to treat chronic illnesses (hypertension, anxiety, obesity). frames parks as preventative healthcare infrastructure requiring equitable access

Social Infrastructure

Eric Klinenberg concept (Palaces for the People) of physical places that build social capital (libraries, parks, cafes, barbershops). literally saves lives in crises (1995 Chicago Heat Wave) by preventing isolation

Medellin's Library Parks

Social Urbanism strategy in Medellin placing striking world-class libraries + parks in poor hillside barrios linked by Metrocable gondolas. gives the best architecture to the humblest areas to build civic dignity + peace

Bryant Park

Midtown NYC park transformed in the 1980s by Holly Whyte from crime-ridden Needle Park into a vibrant square. classic placemaking case study removing barriers, opening street sightlines, and adding movable chairs + kiosks

Greenacre Park (New York City)

tiny 6,000-sq-ft Midtown NYC vest-pocket park (1971) with a 25-ft granite waterfall, locust trees, and movable chairs. shows how micro-infill parcels use waterfall white noise (acoustic masking) + enclosure for restorative oases

Park-Like (a small park in St Louis)

tactical pocket park on a neglected St. Louis infill lot using cheap modular native landscaping. shows how post-industrial vacant micro-lots can deliver park benefits without big city budgets

Street Parks (San Francisco)

SF program letting neighbors adopt and turn leftover unpaved road medians + paper streets into community-tended micro-parks. taps grassroots stewardship to turn right-of-way fragments into green space

Park in a Truck

rapid greening toolkit delivering pre-designed park kits (native plants, benches) in one truck so residents can build a vacant-lot pocket park in a weekend. bypasses slow, costly park construction in disinvested areas

Pavement to Parks

SF municipal program reclaiming oversized asphalt intersections + road triangles for pedestrian plazas using paint, planters, and seating. institutionalized tactical urbanism inside city gov to cheaply test plazas

The Bentway (Toronto)

1.75-km linear park + skate trail built underneath Toronto's elevated Gardiner Expressway wrapping around concrete support columns (bents). reimagines intimidating highway undersides as 4-season civic space

Levi’s Plaza (San Francisco)

1982 SF corporate campus park by Lawrence Halprin pairing a hardscaped interactive fountain plaza with a soft meadow + stream. masterclass in Privately Owned Public Open Space (POPOS) + tactile water design

Biophilia

E.O. Wilson hypothesis that humans have an innate evolutionary need to connect with nature. scientific basis in planning for why urban nature lowers cortisol, blood pressure, and stress while boosting focus

Biophilic Cities

planning framework led by UVA prof Timothy Beatley embedding nature into every urban scale (living walls, bird-safe glass, daylighted streams, wildlife corridors). frames the city itself as an immersive biodiverse ecosystem

Fractals

repeating self-similar geometric patterns across scales in nature (tree branches, ferns, snowflakes). in urban design, natural fractals + traditional ornament trigger soft fascination and cut stress compared to blank glass facades

Forest Bathing

Japanese preventive health practice (Shinrin-yoku) of mindful walking in woods. breathing tree antimicrobial compounds (phytoncides) boosts immune NK cells + drops stress, justifying wild urban forest preservation

3-30-300 Rule

Cecil Konijnendijk urban forestry metric where everyone should see 3 trees from home, have 30% neighborhood canopy cover, and live within 300m of a park. quantifiable benchmark to audit environmental justice + heat islands