Planning

The idea that human settlements grow in random and spontaneous fashion ignores the important distinctions that different forms of urban planning offer. All cities have been shaped and reshaped, though methods are not always codified into law. Today’s cities are no different; from their grid street fabric to the details of the sewer lines all elements of the city are brought together into a cohesive whole.

Literacy in many different disciplines is required in order to shape the built environment. Paris as we know it did not begin to take its form until the mid-19th century when Haussmann leveled entire districts of medieval streets to create the boulevards for which the city is known today. And though we cannot remember it any other way, the minutia of our hometown block is not random. Professionals outlined the sidewalk shape, planted the trees, and laid the pipe under the asphalt.
 

Officials can make plans that end up being detrimental to a site’s design and its long-term life in the community. For example, the urban renewal movement of the mid 20th century used eminent domain to tear down thousands of blocks of structures because they were considered slums. Many people were displaced without relocation plans from their neighborhoods, many of which would have likely been reborn today considering the trends of many current downtown renewal projects. Further, land that was once agricultural suddenly became ripe for residential development once a large-capacity road was built nearby, which has slowly deflated America’s farming industries. In addition, waterfront land that was once neglected is now some of the most desirable downtown real estate.

However, many cities proclaimed their waterfronts to be dead for any development other than industry and decided to plan around them, building overbearing highways along their banks and cutting off public access to what has now become a great urban resource.

www.planning.com
www.philaplanning.org
http://www.dvrpc.org
http://www.phila.gov/ohcd/
www.phila.gov/nti
www.pha.phila.gov
http://www.phila.gov/rda/index.html
www.planetizen.com
www.cyburbia.org
www.aiaphiladelphia.org
www.centercityphila.org
www.planningpa.org
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/cityweb.html
http://www.has.vcu.edu/usp/03links.htm

Preservation

 
Rittenhouse Square                                    PCPC photo

Urban design practitioners have assigned the preservation of historic sites and properties varying levels of importance over the last century.

However, the importance of maintaining a sense of context and understanding for the forms that preceded us has increased over the last thirty years for many reasons.

The urban design discipline was criticized tremendously during the urban renewal and highway construction movement of the 1960s for its top-down, large-scale destruction of viable neighborhood blocks that was approved by scholarly designers nationwide.

Urban renewal has also left designers with new sets of problems, such as wider cart ways and larger parcels that did not exist before entire blocks were torn down.

There is also a renewed sense of nostalgia in the 21st century, as once-dead urban forms such as attached “row houses” are now in high demand.

The market, as well as the urban design discipline itself, has moved us to understand and appreciate that a site’s history is an integral part of urban planning.

Government has responded accordingly; the federal branch has established a process by which tax breaks are awarded to developers renovating historic sites, and many local governments have the power to permanently ban demolition of any structure with a certain level of historical significance.

There are now local and regional historical commissions charged with protecting local jewels of the past, though many buildings of the same typology were destroyed decades ago without concern.

• www.phila.gov/historical/
• www.phmc.state.pa.us
• www.nationaltrust.org
• www.preservationalliance.com
• http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/
• http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/
• http://www.phila.gov/historical/register.html
• www.achp.org
• www.preservationdirectory.com
• http://www.amphilsoc.org
• http://www.10000friends.org/
• http://philadelphia.uli.org/
• http://www.phila.gov/historical/

 

Zoning

Zoning is a form of “indirect” urban design, as its rules and restrictions dictate what can be built on each parcel in most American cities. Though designers rarely write code themselves, zoning affects the urban form in many ways. Every road width and building height delivers a message to their users on how to use the public realm. In fact, zoning code is often written by engineers, who are trained in place-making in a very different fashion than designers.

Though most zoning only regulates general building dimension details, the mandated site use has a big impact on the building’s appearance. For example, if a lot is zoned for a single-family home, it will likely not have large ground-floor display windows and a block-long floor plate. Such limitations can be very constraining as use patterns change over time and sites need to be renovated and adapted in order to thrive in a new use.

Zoning code has evolved over the years as urban planning theory and political priorities have changed. Many old zoning codes are outdated and economically inefficient, and do not have the flexibility in their parcel-by-parcel designation to allow for smooth transitions to new land uses.

An entire rezoning is time-intensive and strictly adhering to outdated code can hinder development. Therefore, many cities loosen their amendment process to help landowners change the zoning code quickly, or simply ignoring the code and letting developers build structures that directly violate the ordinance. This explains the negative connotation surrounding the Philadelphia zoning code, which is so old that it is seen by many as a direct hindrance to progressive development that could help make the city a more world-class destination. Many developers see zoning here as an obstacle to overcome, not as standards that must be met to integrate into the surrounding community.

Many cities are experimenting with different zoning types. Some more flexible zoning forms include (1) form-based zoning, which regulates by design instead of use; (2) incentive zoning, which rewards developers for meeting certain urban design standards, and (3) performance zoning, which allows landowners to meet building goals by achieving various levels of compliance. Zoning is not used in all American cities. Houston is the largest U.S. metropolis without a zoning code in place, as citizens continue to reject efforts to implement it.

http://municipalcodes.lexisnexis.com/codes/philadelphia
http://citymaps.phila.gov/citymaps/
http://www.formbasedcodes.org/
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-05122004-113700/unrestricted/BurdetteFINALmajorpaper.pdf
http://www.law.pace.edu/landuse/bincent.html
http://www.transcoalition.org/ia/incentzn/01.html

Development

Though it often has a negative connotation, development represents the absolutely crucial element of demand to use the urban form. A development proposal represents a certain level of faith in the current built environment, and once completed the project ends up helping to define the built environment for future generations. Without development, there would be no city to plan. Despite the stigma often attached to it, development can meet both community needs and economic profit when considered within a larger urban design framework. Development must support the public health, safety, and welfare of a neighborhood, but investors often fear the controls of local government.

It is within this idea that a potential for a symbiotic relationship between public sector planners and private development emerges. Embedded in urban design theories is the fundamental goal of balancing private development and public good in a way that incorporates the social, economic, and cultural needs of a diverse urban population. True symbiosis is difficult to achieve today, especially given the pressures facing the public sector due to rising social services needs and decreasing tax bases. Private developers often have leverage in these cases, which can lead to some unhealthy compromises that negatively affect our built environment. Ways to achieve this balance can take many different forms, as we can see within Philadelphia.

Pennsylvania Slot Casino Resources

"Slots in Pennsylvania" -- Philadelphia Inquirer complete coverage

Draft casino relocation bill, May 2008 -- Reps. O'Brien, Keller, Sen. Fumo

Philadelphia casino license legislation -- Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, December 2006

Phila. Gaming Advisory Task Force Report, 2006

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: Site Evaluation, Part 1

Part 3: Site Evaluation, Part 2

Part 4: Transportation and Economics

Other Links

http://www.phila.gov/ohcd/
http://www.phdchousing.org/about.htm
http://www.pidc-pa.org/
http://www.philadelphiacommercial.org/
http://www.phila.gov/rda/index.html
http://www.phillyskyline.com/news/alltextskinny.htm
www.centercityphila.org
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/index.php

Traffic & Transportation

I-95 interrupts access between the waterfront and neighborhoods

A region’s transportation network is its skeleton and its veins, providing the structure and framework for people to live and circulate. This network can encourage smart and sensitive development, or it can foster living habits that cause unsustainable and environmentally harmful development patterns.

Transportation networks for most metropolitan areas in the country changed dramatically after the Federal Highway Act of 1956, which appropriated $41 billion to construct 41,000 miles of interstate roads. This sparked a sudden transformation of the urban landscape, with more and more people moving out of the city and into low-density suburban developments.

Many of these highways ran through the cities themselves, removing sections of downtown or blocking public waterfront access.
Governments continue to focus on automobile networks, and the existing road pattern and lack of alternative transit options has supported “sprawl” development.

Roads continue to expand, people move further away from places of work and commerce, and cities continue to struggle because of shrinking populations and tax bases.

Metro areas have become so decentralized away from cities that auto congestion is significantly increasing, even as our federal government transportation dollars are predominantly dedicated to widening our road systems.|

Today, we are a suburban nation, and the automobile has become the only way to travel for most Americans. Attempts to ease road congestion by building more driving lanes have had limited success, as the street-widening often brings more drivers onto the roads. Such street designs makes alternate transportation methods impossible, as walking or biking are too dangerous and sprawl communities are to spread-out and disjointed to support a public mass transit or bus system.

Very few tax dollars are going toward alternate transportation because most voters worry about auto traffic, which therefore limits innovative research and propagates the cycle of auto dependability.

Many localities are taking new approaches to transportation planning, using networks to serve as the base of development and building around them.
Many cities change their land use planning and regulations to encourage development around important road intersections or public transportation centers using a model known as Transit Oriented Development.
There are many examples of such smart growth ideas, most of which approach problems from a regional perspective, viewing the city and adjoining suburbs as one network.

Current Projects

1. PATCO has plans underway to expand its transit service in southern New Jersey and on Philadelphia's Delaware riverfront. This work spawned from a Southern New Jersey to Philadelphia Transit Study done by the Delaware River Port Authority in 2005. Though the study focused on New Jersey, connecting PATCO riders to the riverfront and the Convention Center have become more prominent objectives in their current work.

COMMENT on PATCO's current transit alternatives: register at the bottom of this page.

To learn more, read PlanPhilly's coverage or check out PATCO's project websites below:

Alternatives for Philadelphia Waterfront Transit Expansion

Alternatives for Southern Jersey Transit Expansion

2. I-95 Reconstruction: Girard Avenue to Vine Street 

Click here for an animated tour of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's redesign for the Girard Avenue interchange of I-95.  For complete information on PennDOT's plans for I-95 in Southeastern Pennsylvania, check out their 95revive website.

Agencies

• www.dot.state.pa.us
• www.septa.org
• www.ridepatco.org
• www.phila.gov/streets
• www.philapark.org
• www.drpa.org
• www.bicylecoalition.org
• www.pahighways.com

Studies

• http://www.transact.org/report.asp?id=202
• http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/
• http://www.smartgrowth.org/library/byissue.asp?iss=12&res=1024
• http://www.philaplanning.org/plans/ccparking.html
• http://www.philaplanning.org/pubinfo/plantings.pdf

Public Infrastructure

Infrastructure like roads, water pipes, and sewage systems, is simultaneously the most crucial element of urban form while also being the least appreciated.  These forms often run below ground and out of sight and are typically paid for by government agencies, so builders and users alike often take their efficient construction for granted.  However, most infrastructure is very expensive to produce, though absolutely necessary for successful urban design.  Though its form is rarely seen, its function can make even the most beautiful of streets an experiential nightmare.  Its represents the building blocks of our built environment, and therefore typically comes first in most urban construction.

The primary discourse on infrastructure planning comes from the suburbs, where low-density developments are built on undeveloped land without previously laying the infrastructure foundation necessary to ensure that the homes are habitable.  The sprawl requires local governments to extend public services out to reach these faraway developments, the cost of which can be exorbitant.  In fact, the square footage necessary to connect these distant communities often yields projects that are too expensive to cover with tax payments.  The current trend in planning toward “smart growth” initiatives encourages building in previously developed areas.  Governments often accomplish this by outlining an area for urban growth, beyond which major infrastructure investment will not be subsidized, as well as offering economic incentives to build within existing neighborhoods.

http://www.public-infrastructure.de/40560?x=1
http://www.elpnet.org/delawarevalleynetwork/envissues.php
www.epa.gov
http://www.stormwaterauthority.org
http://www.phila.gov/water/
www.pgworks.com
www.philaport.com

  

http://www.december.com/places/phil/transport.html
http://www.december.com/places/phil/facilities.html
http://www.december.com/places/phil/human.html
http://www.philaport.com/port_infrastructure.htm
http://www.pgworks.com/
http://www.exeloncorp.com/
http://www.elpnet.org/delawarevalleynetwork/envissues.php

Security and safety

Any social effects of sound urban design were not discussed in the discipline until Jane Jacob’s Death and Life of Great American Cities, in which she drew a direct connection between successful place-making and overall public safety. She argues that in order for all people to feel safe on city streets, an intricate social system is required more than a strong police force. That setting can only be achieved by designing the neighborhood so that there is constant use at all hours and a rich mixture of activities and buildings of different characters. This mix of uses creates an environment where there are always “eyes on the street,” thus making it harder for a crime to occur without repercussion. In her approach of increasing safety through urban design, Jacobs makes other recommendations, including shortening the length of city blocks and mixing buildings of various size and typology, a direct contrast in ideals with those who advocate consistent zoning as a tool to maintain the public’s safety and welfare.

Jacobs’ tenets continue to ring true today, as we can even see in low-density suburbs, largely considered the safest neighborhoods in the country. When public space is designed such that it forces users into their cars, walking becomes a more dangerous activity, thus further encouraging people to stay in their cars.  Furthermore, some of the least safe communities in cities today are those who had their dense tight-knit residential fabric destroyed during the urban renewal movement of the mid 20th century because they were thought to be slums.

Beyond everyday safety for urban dwellers, professionals must also plan and design for emergencies.  For example, even the coziest of streets must be designed to enable a fire truck to turn and park. Cities must also be built to survive natural disasters. Downtown Miami had to be rebuilt after Hurricane Andrew of 1993, and lots of the renewal used new materials that can withstand even a Category 5 hurricane.  Sanibel Island, Fla., has special design regulations and population ceilings to ensure that all residents can reach safety in case of a hurricane. And now as plans are developed for rebuilding New Orleans, careful attention is paid to urban design in floodplains, and the role of coastal wetlands and natural storm management systems in a healthy ecosystem.

http://www.cpted.net/home.html
http://humanics-es.com/recc-design.htm#cpted
http://www.cpted-watch.com/
www.defensiblespace.com
http://www.thecptedpage.wsu.edu/Resources.html
www.pps.org

Public Art

Public art in cities often symbolizes community vibrancy, displaying that neighborhood stakeholders want to help make their city beautiful. It is often a form of community expression that provides residents with a unique chance to improve their city’s aesthetic. It can also become a destination of its own, thus incorporating itself into the urban fabric because it is seen by dwellers as a landmark. Designed buildings or open spaces can be examples of public art, like the Eiffel Tower in Paris or Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia has a unique engrained culture surrounding public art as the first city to develop the percent for art policy. This requires that one percent of the construction costs of large new development in the city must be spent on public art. This is one reason we see public art all over Philadelphia, from the clothespin in Center City, to the Plateau in University City; it is even the driving force behind Dockside Apartments’ boat-like shape. Murals are a very popular form of expression in Philadelphia; they bring new life to corners or parking lots. Philadelphia also has an Arts Commission appointed by the Mayor to approve design and location of public art, public buildings, and any “encroachments into or over the public right-of-way.” In addition, it is often the body charged with approval of design guidelines regarding building façades or signage in special zoning overlay districts.

The Fairmount Park Art Association provides a comprehensive resource of local pieces, including an interactive map that shows the exact locations of public art in Philadelphia. Click here to access the map.

Fairmount Park Art Association

FPAA research tips

www.philart.net
www.muralarts.org
http://www.phila.gov/visitors/arts.html
http://www.zpub.com/public/
http://www.publicartreview.org/

Open Space

Listen to the PennFuture podcast to learn more about environmental and sustainability issues in Pennsylvania! 

Open space is repose and recreation represented in urban design.  It attracts people into existing communities by providing interesting uses and captivating vistas of green  that mark a break in the urban fabric.  Open space brings a sense of human scale to dense city streets.  It is carefully planned and designed, though no buildings have usually been constructed on it.  Parks, streets, squares, alleys, and walkways represent the connective tissue that holds our daily life together, free and open to be used as the public needs it.  And how nearby buildings frame these open spaces and relate to distances is no mistake: building arrangement alone can affect how we move through public spaces.  It is oftentimes our only space for unplanned social interactions, and can provide interesting insight into what William Whyte calls our “schmoozing patterns.”

Emphasis was not placed on open space in cities until the early 20th century with the City Beautiful movement, whose advocates saw beauty as a social control device for creating happy and virtuous citizens that counteracted decaying inner-city neighborhoods.  Though urban designers have delved deeper into the social sciences since this movement, the incredible value of open space in urban areas still resonates throughout the discipline.  It gives us room to relax, a space to socialize, air to breathe, and a vista to appreciate the dense urban form around us.  The City of Philadelphia has just launched an intensive open space planning initiative with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society called the Green Plan, thus demonstrating the power such public space designs can have on mobilizing communities.

http://www.tiny.cc/IczTi
http://www.fairmountpark.org/
www.greenplanphiladelphia.com
www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org
http://www.smartgrowth.org/about/principles/principles.asp?prin=6&res=1024
www.openspace.org
http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/openspace.html
http://www.fundersnetwork.org/info-url_nocat2778/info-url_nocat_list.htm?attrib_id=7553
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~cap/CITYBEAUTIFUL/city.html
http://www.scag.ca.gov/livable/Index.htm

PPC photo

The City of Philadelphia has launched an important open space planning initiative in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Note the PHS project below.

Visual Blight

Visual blight can be found everywhere, from the calm banks of a riverfront to along a highway to atop the corner store roof.  It can take many forms, from the abandoned warehouse along the waterfront to the liquor billboard in the convenience store parking lot.  Vacant buildings represent past vibrancy that has since been lost, usually a sign of local neglect.  Abandoned buildings typically translate into fewer neighbors on the street, which makes residents feel less safe.  Thanks to the rebirth of many downtowns and community initiatives to restore their own neighborhoods, vacant structures are urban design opportunities now more than ever before.

Blight can be a sign that a neighborhood does not have strong enough urban design controls, or a particular urban form that has faded in popularity.  Most forms of billboard blight are actually illegal, but they remain due to the lack of zoning enforcement.  Only a sweeping reform of the code could address these problems of neglect.  Billboard blight can also reduce a city’s visual character and quality of life.  Though billboard advertising is not typically considered part of the urban design discipline, a building or a street corner must be designed in a certain way to provide the space for a billboard.  Such blight is more frequently found in lower-income neighborhoods, where controls are minimal.

http://www.urbanblight.org/index.html
http://www.freepress.net/
http://tinyurl.com/ymnoug
http://www.urbanblight.org/SRC/index.html
http://www.urbanblight.org/resources/Tools.pdf

A sea of billboards                                                     SCRUB photo