Neighbourhood Structure

Design Principles:

1. Identifiable: Neighbourhoods should play a significant role in the identity and character of the urban areas. To promote distinctive neighbourhoods with a strong sense of place, a defined structure should be established that includes a mixed-use neighbourhood centre, which transitions to an edge with positive interfaces and connections to adjacent areas.

2. Interconnected: Neighbourhoods should be characterized by a highly interconnected local street network with short block lengths to allow traffic to dissipate to local destinations. Interconnected streets reduce congestion, promote walkability, and improve emergency vehicle access.

3. Compact & Walkable: The neighbourhood scale should enable an easy walking distance from centre to edge. All neighbourhood uses are situated within walking distance, including a network of parks and recreation areas. Walkable neighbourhoods are transit supportive and promote community health.

4. Diverse: The neighbourhood should provide a variety of block sizes and a variety of street layouts that encourage development of a mix of housing forms and densities, and commercial and employment uses.

5. Respect for Natural Heritage: The design of neighbourhoods should have strong visual and physical links to natural environmental features, including, for example, valleys and watercourses.

Source: Regional Municipality of Niagara, Model Urban Design Guidelines, 2005

Additional Resources:

Smart Growth Network: Getting to Smart Growth II - 100 More Policies for Implementation.

Increasing Density Through Lot Size and Design
http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/imquaf/afho/afadv/cohode/indelsde/how.cfm

Barton Hugh and Tsourou Catherine: Healthy Urban Planning. New York: Spon Press, 2000.

Calthorpe, Peter: The Next American Metropolis: Ecology, Community and the American Dream. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1993.

Duany Andres, Plater-Zyber Elizabeth and Speck, Jeff: Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream. New York: North Point Press, 2000.

Congress for the New Urbanism: Charter of the New Urbanism. Duany, Andres, and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Towns and Town-Making Principles. Cambridge: Harvard University Graduate School of Design, 1991.

Friedman, Avi, Planning the New Suburbia: Flexibility by Design. Vancouver: UBC Press, 2002.

National Association of Counties, “Local Tools for Smart Growth: Practical Strategies and Techniques To Improve Our Communities”. The Joint Centre for Sustainable Communities, Smart Growth Network.
http://www.naco.org/programs/environ/sources/localtools.pdf

Russell, Joel, “Amending Land Use Regulations to Promote Smart Growth.” San Francisco: CNU, 2001.
http://www.cnu.org/cnu-reports/j_russell.2.pdf

Proscio, Tony, “What Neighbourhood and Metropolitan Leaders Can Do Together: A ‘Smart Communities’ Agenda.” Local Initiatives Support Corporation.
http://www.knowledgeplex.org/kp/report/relfiles/lisc_1212_smartcom.pdf

National Governors Association: Community Design Best Practices
http://www.nga.org/centre/topics/1,1188,D_404,00.html

National Governors Association: Healthy Communities
http://www.nga.org/centre/topics/1,1188,D_6893,00.html

National Governors Association: Healthy Communities: New Community Design to the Rescue
http://www.nga.org/centre/divisions/1,1188,C_ISSUE_BRIEF%5ED_2344,00.html

Design Centre for American Urban Landscape: Community Redesign integrating land use, transportation, and natural resources. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, 2002

Fleissig Will and Jacobsen Vickie. Smart Scorecard for Development Projects. In collaboration with the Congress for New Urbanism and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2002.

Liveable Neighbourhoods.
http://www.planning.wa.gov.au

Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities, Translation Paper #8: Education and Smart Growth Reversing School Sprawl for Better Schools and Communities, 2002
http://www.fundersnetwork.org/info-url_nocat2778/info-url_nocat_ show.htm?doc_id=107908

The Small School Workshop
http://www.smallschoolsworkshop.org

Small School Better Neighborhoods
http://www.nsbn.org

National Trust for Historic Preservation, Why Johnny Can¹t Walk To School, 2000.
http://www.nationaltrust.org/news/docs/20001116_johnny_cantwalk.html