Planner Andres Duany proposes a plan for Goodbee Square, near Covington, LA, that adds modern light-imprint urbanism to an old Jeffersonian idea.
"Goodbee Square near Covington, Louisiana, takes one of Thomas Jefferson's ideas and turns it into a 21st Century stormwater solution.
A 1,280-unit development, Goodbee Square is laid out in checkerboard fashion with regularly placed squares. The project received unanimous approval from the St. Tammany Parish Zoning Commission in November. Jefferson proposed a similar layout as a way to blend town and rural living, and planner Andres Duany is quick to emphasize the connection in public presentations. 'There is nothing like having third-party referral from Jefferson,' Duany jokes.
The greens are stormwater detention basins in disguise. The 286-acre site has almost no topographical variations - the elevation changes only 3 feet from one end of the site to the other, says Duany Plater-Zyberk planner Matt Lambert. About 20 percent would have to be devoted to stormwater detention to ensure meeting local requirements, according to Bernard Fromherz, project manager and one of the partners in the development firm 285 LLC.
The usual solution would be to cluster the housing and reserve a portion of the land for ponds, basins, and drainage facilities. Duany asked the developers: 'Should we have ditches all over the place or should we have something great?'"
Thanks to The Intrepid Staff
FULL STORY: A Jeffersonian idea for the 21st century
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.
New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita just celebrated the grand opening of its 38th park, the 10.5-acre Skyline Ranch Park.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
How Urban Form Impacts Housing Affordability
The way we design cities affects housing costs differently than you might think.
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
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.