Suburban Nation

The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream Presented By: Veronica Czastkiewicz Jessica Rundlett Victor Tchakalov

Introduction Traditional neighborhoods are superior to suburban sprawl

Why?

•Transportation • Community • Zoning

Road Map: You are here

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Transportation

–Community –Zoning

• Automobile is pre-requisite for social viability • Automobile Commuting and Highway construction • Drivers vs. Pedestrians – Social Space – Safe Streets vs. Dangerous Streets – Designed for apocalypse – Narrow streets, curb radius, parallel parking

• Why traffic is congested – Collector Road – Necessity of Driving – Neighborhood Web • Why nearby is still far away – Adjacency vs. Accessibility – Lack of Choice

• Curving roads and cul de-sacs do not make memorable places – Traditional Reasons for cul-de-sacs – Disorienting environments – Honorable sites for honorable institutions – Why narrow roads are safer • Suburban “Traffic Calming”

• The Highwayless Town and the Townless Highway – Eviscerating the Neighborhoods – The Results of Highwayless Towns • Why Adding Lanes Makes Traffic Worse – Induced Traffic – Latent Demand – Why we sit in traffic: Free Goods • The automobile subsidy – How free is automobile use?

– Terminology • “Highway Investment” vs. “Transit Subsidy” – The Subsidy and the Free Market

• Good suburbs – Suburbs that are part of the city – Suburbs that accommodate public transit – Mass transit in the neighborhood • How it is accomplished – Regional Planning

Road Map: You are here –Transportation

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Community

–Zoning

• Five Components of Sprawl 1) Housing subdivisions 2) Shopping centers 3) Office parks 4) Civic institutions 5) Roadways • Traditional Neighborhood Plans 1) Neighborhood Center 2) Five-Minute Walk 3) Street Network 4) Narrow, Versatile Streets 5) Mixed Use 6) Special sites for Special Buildings

• Oddity of Sprawl Housing – Unique for the US – Country side image distortion – En Masse “Isolation” = Inner decay and traffic boom • Private vs. Public Realm – McMansion Supremacy – Private Heaven for Public Emptiness – Result: Suburban NIMBYism

• Absolute Segregation by Income – Clusters and Neighbor to Neighbor Rows – Exploitation as a measure of success – Selfishness and Political Control = Urban Decay – Isolated Children became Media Victims

• Indeed, Americans Move!

– Traditional Neighborhood = Moving Up vs. Moving Out – Not Having to Leave Your Community – In most of the US it is illegal to: • Mix housing types • Live above retail space • Use home as store

• Street Life – Meaningful Destinations – Automotive Sewer or Social Organism – Comfortable vs. Unpleasant – Interesting vs. Boring

• Competition with Suburbia – Inside Out vs. Outside In Perspective – Recognize and Learn from Suburbia • Categories of Competition – Amenity Package – Community – Civic Decorum – Home Owners Associations vs. Regional Based Governments – Freeway City, Superwide Streets, No Sidewalks vs. A/B Street Grid, Subtle Parking, Mass Transit and Pedestrian Life

• Victims of Sprawl

– Cul-De-Sac Kids – Soccer Moms – Bored Teenagers – Stranded Elderly – Weary Commuters – Bankrupt Municipalities – Immobile Poor

• Forgotten Rules of Affordable Housing – Do not stigmatize the poor as such – Experiment with people who can afford to move – Mix housing to avoid slums • Middle Class Crisis: – Affordable Housing

• Leaving Town? Take a Developer with You!

– Stereotypes and Realities of the American Developer • Marketing Tricks – Most Americans prefer Neighborhood – Neighborhood disguise advertisements – Biased polls and Paraphrased Questions • Why Sprawl?

Road Map: You are here –Transportation –Community

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Zoning

Mixed Use v. Single Use

• Convenience Store vs. Corner Store – Why Suburbanites Hate Living Next To Shopping: The Quick Mart – Building Typology • Shopping Center vs. Main Street – Suburban Retail vs. The Shopping Mall as Main Street – Suburban Office Parks vs. Integrated Offices

• Useless and Useful Open Space – Suburbia • Building Setbacks, Buffers, Tree Requirements • Residual and Unused Space – Traditional Open Space • Town or City Square – Surrounded by Community – Defined

• Retail Management – Malls vs. Main Street – Anchor Management • Marketing – Small Scale and Subdivision Approach – Appropriate Renewal – Family Incentives – Gentrification

• The Eight Steps of Regional Planning – 1) Admit growth will occur – 2) Establish permanent preserves – 3) Establish temporary preserves – 4) Designate corridor – 5) Establish priority development sectors – 6) Establish process for neighborhood model development – 7) Designate all other development as districts – 8) Fairly distribute LULUs • Environmental Movement as a Model

The Traditional Neighborhood Development Checklist

• Regional Structure • Land Use • Natural Context • Public Buildings and Spaces • Thoroughfare Network • Street Design • Parking • Housing

The Congress for the New Urbanism

• Making a Change • Charter of New Urbanism – The Metropolis – The Neighborhood – The Block/Street/Building

What Is To Be Done?

• The Victory Myth – Have we won?

– Three tools for manipulating the physical environment • Design • Policy • Management

• The role of policy – Individual Rights vs. Common Good – How aesthetics determine social, economic and environmental health • Municipal and County Government – Put community design on agenda – Re-write regulations • Don’t fix!

• Start new or adopt – Think Globally, Act Locally, Plan Regionally – Public Participation (With a Caveat) – Practice what you preach

• Regional Government – Do It!

• State Government – Growth Management Laws – Funding Vehicles – Role of D.O.T.s

• Federal Government – ↑ Support for Public Transit – Balanced School Systems – ↓ Road Building

• Architects – Designs affects behavior – Design of new places should be modeled on old places that work • Citizens – Recognizing the relationship – The Arm Chair Urbanist

• Questionable Conventional Wisdom – Design/Community vs. Age/Location – Cost of Alleys – Traditional planning allows for stage development • Get Homebuilders On Board – Simplify designs and re-arrange parking – Take a risk – Change the term

Conclusion

Traditional Neighborhoods are better than Suburban Sprawl

• Transportation • Community • Zoning •

• Sprawl does – Not pay for itself – Consumes land – Create traffic problems – Make social inequity and isolation

Victims of Suburbia, Unite!