1. The Urban World, 9th Ed.
J. John Palen

2. Chapter 13: Planning, New Towns, and New Urbanism
Introduction
American Planning
20th-Century Patterns
European Planning
New Towns
American New Towns
New Urbanism or Traditional Neighborhood
Summary

3. Introduction Ancient Greece and Rome
The Greeks gave little attention to the physical arrangement of their communities
The Roman provincial cities were modeled after the gridiron pattern of encampment used by the Roman legions
Renaissance and Later Developments
Planners in the 16th and 17th centuries often designed stylized and static artificial communities
The 19th-century redesign of Paris must be listed among the more successful attempts at city planning

4. American Planning Washington, D.C. 19th-Century Towns
Pierre L’Enfant’s plan for Washington, D.C., is the best-known example of North American town planning during the 18th and 19th centuries
19th-Century Towns
During the 19th century, little creative energy went into designing the rapidly multiplying new towns
The Federal Land Ordinance of 1785 encouraged the gridiron pattern, since it divided all lands west of the Mississippi into units of one square mile

5. Early Planned Communities
Historically, totally planned communities have not fared well in North America
Parks
In 1857, Frederick Law Olmsted began building Central Park on 843 acres of wasteland
It inspired other cities to copy New York’s successful plan
There was a pronounced profit as well as an aesthetic motive in creating parks

6. The City Beautiful Movement
Emerged from the World’s Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893
City leaders were determined to make a good impression, and their goal was to create a modern wonder; the famous White City, lit at night by the then-new electric light bulbs
It was a solid, conscious, and sincere attempt to improve the urban environment
The greatest weakness was that it almost totally ignored the problem of housing, particularly that of the slums

7. Tenement Reform
The early 20th century saw a movement by social reformers such as Jane Addams to improve the quality of life in inner-city slums
Many desperately needed housing improvements were made as a result of the campaigns of the reformers, but crime, violence, and alcoholism were not banished as a result
The relationship between housing and social behavior is complex and unfortunately not amenable to simple brick-and-mortar solutions

8. 20th-Century Patterns The City Efficient
The emphasis shifted from the city beautiful to the city efficient
Bold city planning was replaced by city engineering
Planning and land-use regulation through zoning became the accepted functions of local government

9. Zoning and Beyond
Zoning, which became a force in the U.S. with the New York City Zoning Resolution of 1916, was originally seen as a device to “prevent the intrusion of improper uses into homogenous areas”
What made zoning significant was that now “bad” usages could be controlled by law
Zoning was used before the Fair Housing Act of 1968 as a means of enforcing racial segregation
New York City has now moved to a hands-off policy
Houston, TX, is the only major city in North America without any zoning laws

10. Master Plans to Equity Planning
Became the hallmark of city-planning agencies from the 1920s to the 1970s
The purpose of the master plan was to coordinate and regulate all phases of city development
The death blow for many a master plan was the upsurge of urban renewal and other development plans after World War II
Crime Prevention through Environmental Design
CPTED used by providing natural access control with house fences and shrubs, placing windows so open areas can be observed, using sidewalks, porches, and landscaping to define boundaries, and using street design to discourage criminal activity

11. European Planning
The major ways in which European planning differs from American planning are these:
Government planning is expected and accepted as necessary
There is greater governmental control of land
Housing subsidies are commonplace
Public transportation is widely used

12. Planning and Control of Land
Some European cities enjoy the advantage of control over their own municipal lands
Europe also has a tradition of urban planning
Land-use systems are not socially neutral
Housing Priorities
During the postwar period there was heavy emphasis on clearing slums and war-damaged central areas and on building new towns on the urban periphery
In western Europe, high-rise housing projects are in disfavor, and the focus is on gentrification of older neighborhoods

13. Transportation Urban Growth Policies
In more densely populated European cities public transportation is the norm
In order to decrease auto usage many European cities use congestion pricing, where they charge motorists to drive into the center of the city
Urban Growth Policies
European countries have national land-use or growth policies
Many countries are seeking to stem migration to the largest centers
Manufacturers are given economic incentives to invest in depressed areas needing growth

14. The Dutch Approach
The Netherlands is the most densely populated country in Europe
The majority of the Dutch population is found in a megalopolis, known as the randstad, or “rim city”
The Dutch have kept their town compact, and valuable woods and fields are kept as a reserve for the use of all
A system of local, regional, and national controls prevents urban sprawl

15. New Towns British New Towns
The new town movement owes its origins to Ebenezer Howard who proposed building whole new communities in a book
The towns were to be completely planned, with all land held in public ownership to prevent speculation
First Towns
The first garden city at Letchworth was plagued by many difficulties
The second new town, Welwyn Garden City, was started in It eventually surmounted initial crises, and today is a pleasant and prosperous community

16. Figure 13.1 Garden City and Rural Belt Model
Howard’s garden cities were designed to be self-sufficient and self-contained communities. Note that the rail lines do not enter the city proper.

17. New Towns in Europe Government Involvement
WW II led to the Greater London Plan of 1944, with new towns as one part of a four-part policy
The British government became directly involved in building new towns through the New Towns Act of 1946
The government altered Howard’s original scheme
The new towns have not significantly altered social behavior
New Towns in Europe
European new towns are really extensions of the older city into the countryside, rather than attempts to create new rural or suburban utopian communities
All were initiated, planned, and financed by the government
Social problems have resulted in the ending of new town building

18. American New Towns Public-Built New Towns
The U.S. government designed, financed, built, and for a decade managed three planned greenbelt towns surrounded by areas of open land
Public Law 65 of 1949 mandated that all the homes built by the government be sold
Federal Support for New Towns
Congress in 1968 and 1970 voted federal funds and technical aid to developers and guaranteed each developer’s bonds
In 1974, the Ford administration ended support
The government lost $570 million

19. Private New Towns: Reston, Columbia, and Irvine
The best known and most successful new towns
Privately financed
Research Parks
Research Triangle is the most famous business-oriented research park
Communities seek office and research parks because they bring nonpolluting, high-tech, and high-employment to the area
There are real limits to the number of such enterprises possible in a region

20. New Urbanism or Traditional Neighborhood Developments
New Urbanism developers and planners follow smart growth practices
New Urbanism is designed to minimize auto usage
Celebration
Built by the Walt Disney Company outside Orlando
Many aspects of the residents lives are controlled
For those with above-average incomes
Failed to be racially diverse

21. Creating Community Limitations
New Urbanism communities are connected by traditional right-angle grids so there are multiple ways of getting somewhere
Streets are kept narrow, and sidewalks are required
Built to a higher density and with a mix of income levels
Designed to encourage a mixture of people and activities in order to create busy streets
Limitations
Will people be willing to reduce their reliance on autos?
The question of how much community design can affect behavior
May just become a niche market for affluent home buyers