Last Friday, I was in two different suburban environments in Atlanta. Both are sprawl by any normal definition of the term - car-oriented environments where residential streets are separated from commerce, sidewalks are rare, and densities are low. But the two places are as different as sprawl and new urbanism.
Last Friday, I was in two different suburban environments in
Atlanta. Both are sprawl by any normal definition of
the term - car-oriented environments where residential streets are separated from commerce, sidewalks are rare, and densities are low. But the two places are as different
as sprawl and new urbanism.
On the way into town, I prayed at a synagogue in Sandy Springs (an inner ring suburb) and then walked
along a residential street to a nearby commercial street Both the residential street and commercial
street were not very pedestrian-friendly: there were no sidewalks on the residential
street, and the commercial street was perhaps a couple of lanes too wide to be
truly comfortable for pedestrians.
But this area (or as I call it, "Sprawl Heck") has its
consolations. While the residential
street did lack sidewalks, it at least had lawns to walk on so I didn't have to
walk in the street most of the time (much like these streets from
neighboring Atlanta suburbs:
http://atlantaphotos.fotopic.net/p14010326.html
and
http://atlantaphotos.fotopic.net/p14010324.html )
Traffic calming measures kept Sprawl Heck cars
going relatively safe speeds. And even
though the residential streets don't connect very well to each other, they are
reasonably close to a commercial street with sidewalks and bus stops.
By contrast, I spent the rest of the weekend with family
members. They live in an area that I
would describe as "Sprawl Hell." In
Sprawl Hell, trees go right up to the street so there's no way to avoid walking
on the street. And on many of Sprawl
Hell's residential streets, traffic goes 40 mph. So in Sprawl Hell, walking can be pretty
dangerous.
(For some examples, see
http://atlantaphotos.fotopic.net/p50930564.html
and
http://atlantaphotos.fotopic.net/p50930560.html )
And the nearest commercial street, about a mile and a half
away, is a highway which also lacks sidewalks:
http://atlantaphotos.fotopic.net/p50930562.html
In sum, not all car-oriented suburbs are equally bad. The mere addition of sidewalks, or some limits on
foliage near streets, can elevate a suburb from terrible to merely mediocre.
A few feet
Because of President-elect Obama’s plans to spend billions of dollars on infrastructure, some recent discussion of smart growth has focused on proposals for huge projects, such as rebuilding America’s rail network. But walkability often depends on much smaller steps, steps that require changes in tiny increments of space.
Why I fight
Occasionally, someone familiar with my scholarship asks me: why do you care about walkability and sprawl and cities? Why is this cause more important to you than twenty other worthy causes you might be involved in? The answer: Freedom. I grew up in a part of Atlanta that, for a carless teenager, was essentially a minimum-security prison. There were no buses or sidewalks, as in many of Atlanta’s suburbs and pseudo-suburbs. But in my parents' non-neighborhood, unlike in most American suburbs, there were also no lawns to walk on, so if you wanted to walk, you had to walk in the street - not a particularly safe experience in 40 mph traffic.
Maine Law Promotes Smart Growth
New state legislation encourages cities to plan around ‘smart growth’ principles to preserve farmland and open space, and use infill development to build more housing.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Write for Planetizen
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
