As the name
implies, "New Urbanism" is a new model for urban planning. Traditional
planning in the last half of the century has typically been more suburban
in nature, a kind of development that creates houses suited for nuclear
families surrounded by open space which serves to isolate them from other
houses and the streets--leaving few of the well-defined neighborhoods
and gathering places that may be discovered throughout older towns and
cities.
- New Urbanism provides a richer mix of building types than can be found in suburban neighborhoods: Sideyard houses, row houses, semi--detached houses, secondary units, courtyard cottages and apartments, live--work units with storefronts and offices, mixed use housing that allows retail below and residential above.
New Urbanism planning is rich with detailed planning with stringent architectural design guidelines and codes. Many of these guidelines and codes are founded in historic styles and stimulate the local design vernacular. The purpose of these strict controls serve to invigorate creative architectural detail imparting a greater level of civility to the streetscapes and neighborhoods. New Urbanism communities are distinctively set apart by abundant green spaces and green corridors like pocket parks, plazas, boulevard corridors, courthouse squares, and as in Golden Runs' plan...an eleven acre wildlife habitat. These areas are central and prominent features for all to enjoy and are connected to all major areas. The spaces become central focus points for community and civic purposes as well anchors for neighborhoods. Community facilities such as schools, churches, day care, senior centers, recreation centers, and neighborhood shops become central to promoting community life.
Above all, New Urbanism is people friendly planning that creates a more walkable community where there is less dependence on automobiles and more dependence on alternate modes of transportation and on transit centers. This kind of planning provides a more attractive neighborhood ambience with less traffic and congestion.
New
Urbanism is about bringing people together for generations to come by
thoughtful planning rather that building them apart in a rush to profits.
Golden Run is the right planning at the right time for Erie. We hope that
you enjoy learning about the Golden Run plan while cruising our web site.
We also hope you get as excited about our plans as much as we do. Please
connect to the available links we have included for more information about
New Urbanism.
Sincerely,
The Golden Run Team
http://www.civano.com - Civano, Arizona (smart development)
http://www.smartgrowth.org - Smart Growth Network
http://www.livingmachines.com - Ecologically Sound Technologies
LAND USE PLANNING
Charter for New Urbanism, edited by Katherine McCormick & Michael Leccese, McGraw Hill, New York (1999), is a comprehensive look at the underlying principles of the New Urbanism movement. The elegance of New Urbanism is its ability to create attractive neighborhoods within sustainable communities that make sense in a regional context that sell to the ultimate consumer. The best thinking of the movement's most respected leaders all in one place.
Designing The Future, Vernon D. Swaback, AIA, AICP, Herberger Center for Design Excellence, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, (1997), from a former Frank Lloyd Wright student, a beautifully designed and written examination of the challenges overcome by Scottsdale in its search to become a great desert city.
Transit Villages in the 21st Century, Michael S. Bernick and Robert B. Cervero, McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., (1996), An excellent exploration with concrete examples and imagery of the conflict between placement of regionally significant transit centers and local neighborhood opposition (NIMBY).
The Next American Metropolis - Ecology, Community, and the American Dream, Peter Calthorpe, Princeton Architectural Press (1993), great general discussion, with very creative and inspiring examples of "transit-oriented development," by the leading proponent of New Urbanism (but see Transit Villages for reality check).
Crabgrass Frontier - The Suburbanization of the United States, Kenneth T. Jackson, Oxford University Press (1985), the history of urban/suburban development in the U.S. from the 1860's; Jackson details how transportation options and federal housing policies have influenced community development patterns.
Sustainable Communities -A New Design Synthesis for Cities, Suburbs, and Towns, Sim Van der Ryn and Peter Calthorpe, Sierra Club Books (1986), fascinating series of essays by some of the leading planning, environmental, and economic theorists in the U.S.; led to creation of New Urbanist planning movement.
TRAFFIC CONGESTION
Stuck In Traffic - Coping with Peak-Hour Traffic Congestion, Anthony Downs, The Brookings Institution and the Lincoln Land Institute (1992), Very readable discussion of the prospects for various traffic reduction alternatives, based upon current development realities and commuting practices.
End Of The Road - From World Car Crisis to Sustainable Transportation, Wolfgang Zuckerman, Chelsea Green Publishing Company (1991), obviously written from a point of view, but entertaining reading and very informative, particularly concerning what other countries are doing about traffic congestion.
GENERAL
Atlas of the New West, William E. Reibsame, James J. Robb, Center of the American West, University of Colorado at Boulder, W.W. Norton & Company (1997), a remarkable collection of data, maps, and prose examining what trends and philosophies have shaped and are shaping the Rocky Mountain West.
Reinventing Government - How the Entrepreneurial Spirit is Transforming the Public Sector, David Osborne and Ted Gaebler, PLUME (division of Penguin Books) (1992), provides great examples to use with bureaucrats who profess that "it can't be done."
The Death of Common Sense, Phillip Hall (?), It's such a good read, full of horrifying examples of bureaucratic brain death (in thrall to the rules), that the last person I lent it to didn't give it back, so I can't give you more details.
Management For A Small Planet - Strategic Decision-Making and the Environment, W. Edward Stead and Jean Garner Stead, Sage Publications (1992), worth it for the Bibliography alone, exhaustively researched, easy to read, hard to put down.
The Ecology of Commerce - A Declaration of Sustainability Paul Hawken, Harper Business (division of Harper-Collins publishing) (1993); Preface and Chapter I are truly inspiring.