Town Plan: Week 11 blog

The authors of this chapter are the guru's on the new urbanism approach to planning. The husband and wife team of Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk designed Seaside in Florida ( a total new urbanist town) and Kentland in Merrylands (Retrofitted it towards new urbanism). Their approach to planning was about stopping suburban sprawl and urban disinvestment. As planners they tried to design traditional town centres and retrofit others where they could. The reading itself therefore is very one sided, but never the less I found it usefull in my own understanding of the new urbanist movement and found myself agreeing with many of the elements. With many of the elements in designing a town corresponding with earlier works with Jane Jacobs, especially on the ideas of mixed use, transit and struture of the neighbourhood.




Taken from: http://nymag.com

“The principles of true urban design may have been forgotten but they are not lost. By emulating the past the designers can make new places that are as impressive as the towns that inspired them” p.326

This quote started the reading and have found it very interesting to think about. As the new urbanist approach really is about going back to traditional town centres. Therefore if we can try to emulate some of these ideas on design, can we look back on a town in 100 years and find it as impressive?

The reading look at where to build a town and its regional considerations. Therefore infilling places before building new ones and building new places on proposed transit links rather then places disconnected from these. It looks towards mixed development within a 5 minute walking radius around downtowns to stop automobile use. And that its the planners role to give the people the ingredients to allow them to create a new urbanist community. Such ingredients are direct transit from the downtowns, narrow streets which are interesting within the downtown, buildings which add to pedestrian life, hidden parking spaces and architecture that enhances sense of place rather then take away from it.  I think the most important principles is about having everything within the 5 minute radius ( or slightley more) . As it limits automobile use and adds to street life. In an age where we always seem to isolate ourselves by technologies and car, its time to interact with people ,and get back to the streets! 

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