July 8, 2004
Looking for a port, and when I see a storm approaching
I like architecture. I used to read my mom's back issues of home style magazines because they contained architectural plans for houses. Lately, I've been thinking about architecture. Maybe as a job. Maybe as a hobby.
Anyways, there's a movement in community planning called "New Urbanism" that aims to recapture the feel and look of neighborhoods as they existed before the automobile crushed all competing modes of transportation with its lethal (but cozy!) combination of comfort and convenience.
(Ellen Wilson/Townhomes on Capitol Hill, in DC)
I think that just might be worth recovering. I definitely agree that its time people stopped building such supersized houses (a trend that's already been cut down to size with the now-trite expression McMansion). Glenwood Park is probably the closest example of this sort of thing; its a neighborhood in Atlanta that's still under construction, but it has the potential to turn into a shining example of new urbanism. The architects who designed Seaside, Florida (the oldest example of new urbanism in the country -- it was featured in the Atlantic Monthly around 1988) articulated thirteen key principles, such as:
- The neighborhood has a discernable center.
- There is a variety of dwelling types -- usually houses, rowhouses and apartments -- so that younger and older people, singles and families, the poor and the wealthy may find places to live.
- There are shops and offices at the edge of the neighborhood, of sufficiently varied types to supply the weekly needs of a household.
- An elementary school is close enough so that most children can walk from their home.
- A small ancillary building is permitted within the backyard of each house. It may be used as a rental unit or place to work (e.g. office or craft workshop).
- Streets within the neighborhood are a connected network, which disperses traffic by providing a variety of pedestrian and vehicular routes to any destination. The streets are relatively narrow and shaded by rows of trees. This slows traffic, creating an environment suitable for pedestrians and bicycles.
- Buildings in the neighborhood center are placed close to the street, creating a well-defined outdoor room. (I think this one is particularly important. Parking lots can and should be hidden. People can walk a bit, we don't always have to have our parking lots right at the entrances to stores.)
Of course, some people think that the whole thing is just a trite attempt to artificially create the sort of atmosphere that can only exist as the product of history. Maybe, maybe not. I'll admit that it looks kind of loopy or cheesy sometimes. Yeah, I'd rather live in Beacon Hill than Glenwood Park. But consider the alternatives (as most of us can't exactly afford Beacon Hill or its brethren). Seaside sure looks a lot nicer than Panama City, doesn't it?
