3. Characteristics of Small Towns
• Edge and Center
• Walkable and
pedestrian friendly
• Mix of uses and
housing types
• Architectural
coherent and
interesting
• Strong sense of
community
• Sense of Place
4. Characteristics of Sprawl
• No edge and no center
• Must drive everywhere
• Segregation of uses
and housing types
• Architectural chaotic
and ugly
• Hard to have a sense of
community
• No sense of place
(Everything looks the
same)
5. The Patterns of Development
• Where you put development
• How you arrange development
• What development looks like
10. “How people think of a place is
less tangible, but more important
than just about anything else”
Richard Florida, Author
The Creative Class
11.
12.
13.
14.
15. Green Space & Property Values
• “The relationship
between rising property
values and green spaces
is well documented.”
• “Some studies find as
much as a 15 to 30 %
increase in the value of
properties adjacent to
parks and open space.”
18. Value of Open Space
• Developers build golf courses because
golf courses sell real estate at premium
prices
• Very expensive to design, build & maintain
golf courses
• Parks and open spaces also sell real
estate at premium prices at lower costs to
create and maintain
19.
20. Community Amenities
Sought by Homebuyers
Walking trails/bike paths - 36%
Parks/natural areas - 26%
Playgrounds - 21%
Daycare - 14%
Soccer Fields - 9%
Golf Course - 6%
- April 2004
National Association of Realtors
National Assn. of Homebuilders
31. “Among cities and towns with no
particular recreational appeal, those that
preserve their past continue to enjoy
tourism. Those that haven’t, receive
Almost no tourism at all. Tourists
simply won’t go to a city that has lost
its soul.”
- Arthur Frommer
44. You Have a Choice!
“When a chain store developer come to town they
generally have three designs (A, B, or C) ranging from
Anywhere USA to Unique (sensitive to local
character).”
“Which one gets built depends heavily upon how much
push back the company gets from local residents and
officials about design & its importance.”
Source: Bob Gibbs, Retail Consultant, Birmingham, MI
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
61.
62. “We’ve reached a stage
Where we can be flexible.
We no longer have to build
a gray-blue battleship box.”
Robert W. Stoker
Wal-Mart’s Senior Real Estate Manager
63.
64.
65.
66.
67. The Changing Shape of Big Box
Stores
A growing number of
big box stores are
located in multi-story
buildings, which
means they use less
land, fit better with the
community and are
accessible on foot or
by transit.
Typical Target Store
Target, Stamford, Connecticut
68.
69. Techniques for Achieving Architectural
Design Excellence
• Architectural Design Review
• Corridor Overlays
• Leverage
• Architectural Design Guidelines
• Form Based Codes
• Just Ask
71. Big Box Design Standards
Fort Collins, Colorado Madison , Mississippi
Bozeman, Montana Carmel, Indiana
72. Design Review – Sample Language
• “Architectural Transplants from
other locales are neither
appropriate or desirable.
• The natural environment deserves
authenticity & integrity in the built
environment.
• Franchise/monoculture (corporate
signature) buildings and shallow
or artificial imitations of “western
architectural styles are not
desirable.”
• Source: Design Review Manuel,
City of Sedona , AZ
McDonald’s , Sedona, AZ
Sedona, AZ
73. Corridor Overlays
• Overlay districts are special zones placed “on top” of existing zoning and
planning regulations.
• Corridor overlays frequently address landscaping, signage, building design,
setbacks, curb cuts and other issues.
• This technique is used to prevent a corridor from becoming cluttered,
unsightly or blighted. It can also be used to redevelop older corridors.
• Corridor overlays have been used successfully in hundreds of communities
in all areas of the country
Strip – Before Strip - After
78. Design Guidelines
• Not a law/ Not Mandatory
• A strong suggestion of what you want
• And what you don’t want
• Should be illustrated
• Most effective when coupled with
education and leverage
• Often a prerequisite to legally binding
design review
88. Form Based Codes
• Regulate Building Form not Use
• Emphasize Appearance & Public Realm
• Focus on Visual Aspect of:
*Building Height & Bulk
*Facade Treatment
*Relationship of Building to Street
*Location of Parking
92. * Advantages of Form-Based
Codes
1. They are prescriptive (they state what you want),
rather than proscriptive (what you don’t want).
2. They allow citizens to see what will happen, giving
them more comfort with the future and density.
3. They regulate development at the scale of an
individual building or lot encouraging independent
development by multiple owners rather than large
mega projects.
4. They result in a diversity of architecture, materials,
uses & ownership but within an agreed upon vision.
5. They work well in existing communities by defining and
codifying a neighborhood’s existing DNA. Vernacular
architecture can be replicated promoting compatible
infill.
93. Just Ask
Plan A – Walgreens (Off-the-shelf)
Plan B – Walgreens (Better)
Plan C – Walgreens (Site specific)
Plan C – Walgreens (Site Specific)
94. Here is the Problem
• “The city should be
happy that any
commercial entity is
willing to invest
money within city
limits. If the city sets
its standards to high,
then we’ll have to
settle for empty lots.”
• Source: Letter to the Editor,
Youngstown, Ohio
95. Here’s the Solution
• “We should not be so
desperate for
development that we
approve whatever comes
our way. We can set our
sights higher and we’ll get
better buildings. If CVS is
willing to walk away we
should let them.”
• Source: Youngstown Ohio, Letter
to the EditorCVS, Westerville, Ohio
107. “People stay longer,
spend more money
and come back more
often to places that
attract their
affection.”
Source: Urban Design and
the Bottom Line, ULI, 2009
126. “The unique characteristics of
place may be the only truly
defensible source of
competitive advantage for
regions.”
The Distinctive City
Joe Cortwright, City Vitals
127. Secrets of Successful Communities
• Develop a vision for the future
• Inventory local assets and resources
• Build plans around the enhancement of assets
• Use education, incentives, partnerships and
voluntary initiatives – not just regulation
• Pick and choose among development proposals
• Cooperate with neighbors for mutual benefit
• Protect community character as well as ecology and
economics
• Have strong leaders & committed citizens
