Case studies examined for Pre-20th Century Urban Centers exhibit all principles identified for sustainable community design, due in large part to the fact that they were developed prior to automobile transportation and have been redeveloped over time.
Ybor City, Tampa, Florida
Ybor City was created as a company
town, ~n which all of the daily activities and needs of the residents
were provided. Its early development occurred as neighborhoods
surrounding cigar factories. A commercial main street supported
the community, and civic uses were located along or near the main
street. Ybor City was laid out with a grid of streets, which provided
easy pedestrian access between the residential, manufacturing,
commercial, and civic uses. The community's boundaries were defined
by undeveloped landIn the years following the Great Depression, Ybor City lost industry and population. Urban renewal activities in the 1970s cleared blocks of Ybor's housing and commercial buildings. These vacant blocks are gradually being redeveloped with a range of residential and commercial functions. While Ybor City today is viewed as an arts and entertainment district within the City of Tampa, a focus on new residential development would enhance its sustainable design features.
Back Bay, Boston, Massachusetts
Back Bay, designed as a speculative
residential and cultural district in the mid-1800s, functions
today as a dense, mixed-use urban district. The original grid
block system and mid-rise building pattern continues to provide
a fine grain mix of uses within walking distance of each other.
While residents may travel throughout the metropolitan area for
daily activities such as work and shopping, these uses can also
be found within Back Bay. Alternative transportation modes are
proximate to all parts of Back Bay. including subway, bus, automobile,
bicycle and pedestrian.Neighborhoods were designed for pedestrian and carriage movement. Uses were mixed within blocks and often within buildings. Redevelopment activities of the Back Bay have increased densities and strengthened the diversity of uses, as former single-family townhouses were converted into apartments, offices, and retail uses. In nearly all aspects, Back Bay can be regarded as an excellent example of a sustainable urban community.
Winter Park was founded as a
resort community in the late 1800s. Over time, it matured into
a year-round community with a thriving commercial district, private
college, and rail connection to nearby Orlando. The original plan
for Winter Park defined the grid street pattern, commercial main
street fronting a central park, as well as residential and civic
properties. Like a small town, the uses tend to be segregated
as districts, although the area allowed pedestrian access between
the commercial center and neighborhoods. While this historic community
pattern is still apparent, post-World War II commercial development
along the western edge of Winter Park eliminates its former boundaries.
Regarded today as an attractive suburb to Orlando, Winter Park
has little vacant land, and its historic center and neighborhoods
are undergoing selective infill and redevelopment at increased
densities
While originally a rural village,
Chestnut Hill blossomed as a railroad suburb of Philadelphia in
the mid-1800s. One family developed the residential neighborhoods
and civic amenities which attracted upper middle class families
from the congestion and pollution of Philadelphia. An informal
grid pattern links the residential neighborhoods with civic and
commercial uses located at rail stations. A primary commercial
district grew along Germantown Avenue, the route connecting Chestnut
Hill with Philadelphia. The boundaries of this suburban community
have remained intact along three sides, defined by an open space
system of the Wissahickon Valley and Cresheim Creek. The fourth
side of Chestnut Hill is currently contiguous with other suburban
development. These surrounding developments have caused the roadways
of Chestnut Hill to suffer from increased automobile congestion.
However, public transit, via trains, buses, and trolleys continue
to link the various parts of the community and the larger metropolitan
area. Since the 1950s, the community has worked to improve the
pedestrian environment.
Sun City Center was envisioned
as a self-contained retirement community in the 1 960s, and functions
as such today. Residential districts are organized along winding
streets and golf course fairways. A commercial area fronts onto
a state highway which bisects the community, and recreation centers
serve as the replacement for employment. The low density development
and discontinuous street pattern preclude pedestrian access to
a mix of uses. However, golf carts and bicycles are used extensively
by residents for access throughout the community. With the exception
of the state highway, this community does not connect with its
rural surroundings. In Addition, the fact that the residents of
Sun City Center are retired creates a non-typical community structure.
Twin Rivers was modeled after
the post-World War II new towns of Columbia and Reston, as a fully-functioning
community, within commuting distance of New York City and Philadelphia.
Four neighborhoods were created, using a "superblock"
street pattern which allows uninterrupted pedestrian access between
housing, schools, open space, and commercial uses. This pattern,
and the mix of residential densities and proximity to other uses,
offers viable alternatives to automobile transportation for daily
activities. Like Sun City Center, a state highway bisects the
community and serves as the frontage for commercial uses. While
an express bus service was provided for commuters to New York
City, Twin Rivers includes an industrial area as a source of jobs.
The community seems to have matured well: in 1990, Twin Rivers
received the New Jersey Chapter of the Community Associates Institute
"Community of the Year" award.
A commercial, retail, residential, and civic center, Mizner
Park was developed on the site of a former shopping mall as a
new 'Main Street" for downtown Boca Raton. With a mix of
uses and organization along the central "Plaza Real"
it has been profitable since opening in 1991. However, the project
does not link with its surroundings. The Main Street stops at
the ends of the project, serving as a place rather than a connection.
While Mizner Park is well designed for pedestrians, most have
to reach the project by auto. Parking structures line Federal
Highway, offering few clues about the nature of the place. A bus
stop is at a far end of the project; it is not well-connected
to the Plaza.
Crocker Center, built in the 1980s, is located on the I-95
corridor west of central Boca Raton. The project contains a mix
of hotel, retail, and office uses centered around a courtyard
and surrounded by parking. Although the density and mix of uses
create a pedestrian friendly internal environment, the project
is isolated from adjacent properties and accessible only by a
major roadway, even though its location offers an alternative
means of access: Crocker Center abuts the right-of-way of the
Tri-Rail commuter rail. While plans are underway for station 1/4
mile north of the development Crocker Center itself could serve
as the station site and as an impetus for even further density.
Unlike Mizner Park and Crocker Center, the Lenox area of Atlanta
was developed incrementally by multiple developers. In an affluent
suburb of Atlanta, a regional shopping mall built in the late
l950's served as the hub for subsequent office and retail development.
With each development designed for automobile access, traffic
congestion and parking problems followed. In 1975, Atlanta identified
Lenox as a "high intensity mixed use station" for its
MARTA rail line. The provision of a rail station at Lenox, with
the lease of air rights for additional development, brought increased
density and mix of uses. Additional commitments to improving the
pedestrian environment are creating an even more successful center
for this area.
Seaside is located on the Gulf
Coast of the Florida Panhandle, west of the resort-lined beaches
of Panama City. As the first built example of Neo-Traditional
Town Planning principles, it has become more a tourist attraction
than a community. Duany and Plater-Zyberk planned this 80 acre
development as a small town, with residences surrounding a commercial
and civic center. The residential areas link to each other and
the center by a radial grid street pattern. This pattern includes
a hierarchy of street widths and types and creates a pleasant
walking environment.
Located in metropolitan Washington,
D.C., Kentlands was designed in the 1980s as a new community offering
"small-town charm." While street network and residential
areas have been completed, the civic and commercial uses remain
to be developed. Kentlands is bounded by arterial roadways on
three sides, and currently is accessible only by auto. Kentlands
contains five neighborhoods, each arranged with a grid pattern
of streets and focused on a civic or commercial center. A path
and street system links the residences with these centers, open
space, and each other.
Given its rapid growth since
the 1950s, Orange County adopted an Urban Service Area as part
of its 1980 Comprehensive Plan. The Urban Service Area was designated
for providing services for an area to accommodate anticipated
growth over the next 15 years. Thus, the boundary will continue
to expand as development occurs within the Urban Service Area.
In response to rapid suburban
growth and loss of agricultural land and forests, the state of
Oregon passed legislation in 1973 requiring all incorporated cities
to designate urban growth boundaries. In metropolitan Portland,
26 cities formed an elected regional government, METRO, to administer
the designation of the urban growth boundary.
Sprawl exemplifies the antithesis
of all sustainable community design principles. As defined by
the Florida Department of Community Affairs, sprawl "refers
to the scattered, untimely, poorly planned urban development that
occurs in urban fringe and rural areas and frequently invades
lands important for environmental and natural resource protection."
It is characterized by three forms:
Planned as a "community
of distinctive quality and elegance," Tampa Palms is sited
between I-275 and I-75 approximately 12 miles north of downtown
Tampa. Tampa Palms illustrates the concept of leapfrog development
with its reliance on metropolitan Tampa for employment, yet its
location a mile beyond the previous city limits of Tampa. During
the course of its development, the City of Tampa annexed Tampa
Palms. The once-rural area in between Tampa Palms and the City
limits has developed with low-density residential projects and
commercial strips
Dale Mabry Highway, Hillsborough County, Florida