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

2. Introduction Traditional neighborhoods are superior to suburban sprawl Why? Transportation Community Zoning

3. – Transportation –Community –Zoning Road Map: You are here

4. 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

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

6. 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”

7. 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

8. 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

9. –Transportation – Community –Zoning Road Map: You are here

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

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

15. 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

16. Victims of Sprawl –Cul-De-Sac Kids –Soccer Moms –Bored Teenagers –Stranded Elderly –Weary Commuters –Bankrupt Municipalities –Immobile Poor

17. 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

18. 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?

19. Road Map: You are here –Transportation –Community – Zoning

20. Mixed Use v. Single Use

21. 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

22. 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

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

24. 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

25. The Traditional Neighborhood Development Checklist Regional Structure Land Use Natural Context Public Buildings and Spaces Thoroughfare Network Street Design Parking Housing

26. The Congress for the New Urbanism Making a Change Charter of New Urbanism –The Metropolis –The Neighborhood –The Block/Street/Building

27. What Is To Be Done? The Victory Myth –Have we won? –Three tools for manipulating the physical environment Design Policy Management

28. 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

29. 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

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

31. 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

32. 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

33. Victims of Suburbia, Unite!