Streets and the Shaping of Towns and Cities
The topic of streets and street design is of compelling interest today as public officials, developers, and community activists seek to reshape urban patterns to achieve more sustainable forms of growth and development. Streets and the Shaping of Towns and Cities traces ideas about street design and layout back to the early industrial era in London suburbs and then on through their institutionalization in housing and transportation planning in the United States. It critiques the situation we are in and suggests some ways out that are less rigidly controlled, more flexible, and responsive to local conditions.
Originally published in 1997, this edition includes a new introduction that addresses topics of current interest including revised standards from the Institute of Transportation Engineers; changes in city plans and development standards following New Urbanist, Smart Growth, and sustainability principles; traffic calming; and ecologically oriented street design.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ix
INTRODUCTION. Street Standards and the Built Environment 1
The Power of Street Standards 3
The Social and Environmental Impacts of Street Standards 5
Trends in Street Design and Regulation 7
About This Book 14
CHAPTER 1. Gritty Cities and Picturesque Villages
The Origins of Suburban Design Standards in England
and the United States 17
A Brief Look at Street Design Standards of Antiquity 17
The First Suburbs in England 28
John Nash and Park Village 29
Olmsted, Vaux, and the American Suburb 33
CHAPTER 2. Orderly Streets for Healthy Cities
Social Response to Urban Disorder 43
The "Bye-law" Street 45
Bedford Park Adapts the Bye-law Street 47
Unwin, Parker, and the Garden Cities 50
Charles Mulford Robinson and the Street as a Work of Art 56
CHAPTER 3. Streets for the Motor Age
The Car and the Urban Scene 61
Movements for Road and Street Improvement 61
The Car in the Early 1900s 64
Early Responses to the Automobile 65
The Rise of Comprehensive Planning 66
Stein, Wright, and Radburn 70
Perry, Adams, and the Neighborhood Unit 76
European Modernism and the Vision for New Streets 79
The Asphalt Path 83
The Institute of Transportation Engineers Is Born 83
CHAPTER 4. Bureaucracy Takes Control
The Institutionalization of Standards 85
The President's Conference on Home Building and Home Ownership 85
Adoption of Neighborhood Unit and Garden City Principles 88
Street Regulations Take Root 89
The Federal Housing Administration Promotes Suburbanization 90
FHA's First Standards 91
Standards Establish the Cul-de-sac Pattern 92
Controlling Subdivision through Local Plat Approval 96
The Influence of the Building Industry on Street Design 97
Accidents and Grids
CHAPTER 5. Streets for Living
Rethinking Neighborhood Streets 105
Learning from Traditional Street Patterns 105
Kentlands 106
Laguna West 108
Elmwood: A Traditional Streetcar Suburb 109
Neotraditional Street Design and Pattern 111
Comparing Street Patterns 113
Pedestrian Access 115
The Shared Street Concept 117
Design Characteristics of Shared Streets 122
The Social Benefits 124
Safety 125
Prospects for Shared Streets in Suburbia 126
The Case for Cul-de-sacs 128
Walkable Suburbs? 137
CHAPTER 6. Tomorrow's Streets
Toward New Neighborhood Street Standards 139
Liability Concerns in Reevaluating Standards 140
Local Controls and Design Initiatives 141
Semiprivate Streets for Flexibility 144
Performance Standards Versus Specifications 146
The Limitations of Flexible Planning 149
Some Design Criteria for Better Residential Street Standards 150
Looking at Community Street Standards 154
The Work Ahead 155
APPENDIX A. Chronology of Events in the Development of Residential
Street Standards 159
APPENDIX B. A Graphic Survey of Street Cross Sections 163
APPENDIX C. Narrow Streets Data 167
CHAPTER END NOTES 171
OTHER REFERENCES 183
INDEX 189"
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