What Can Be learned from Smart Growth
Models?
Key
aspects of a successful urban environment and how smart growth relates to urban
design
It is obvious that our
growing population on Earth will continue to increase demands for natural
resources and fossil fuels, economic growth, spatial capacity and more. As people expand from city centers outwards,
it becomes more imperative that urban planners be prepared for challenges
concerned with urban sprawl and spatial design issues. Smart growth is a term used for a more
sustainable and thought-out plan for the needs of ourselves as well as future
generations. Smart growth addresses many
subjects including spatial layout, urban design, architecture, wildlife or open
space, entertainment, economics, population growth, and global warming, among
many others. The overall goal of smart
growth is to help guide the future onto a more sustainable and efficient path
while attempting to mitigate unnecessary economic costs, waste and
environmental damage. When speaking
about smart growth on a more localized level, urban layout and design are very
important aspects because urban infrastructure is always being built or
renovated and urban areas will continuously need to be expanded and spread
out. Urban infrastructure is important
for both functionality as well as aesthetic appeal. Even HVAC and landscaping as well as building
engineering and construction are fundamentally important pieces of the smart
growth model because they deal with materials use and cost as well as natural
resources and economics. Smart growth is
a popularly growing area of study among many disciplines including, geography
and land use, economics, agriculture, international studies, engineering and
mathematics, politics and psychology.
The whole idea behind this growing concept is to meet our exponentially
growing demands while taking care to make conscious and responsible decisions
for the future. Smart growth is a
serious of concepts and applications that can be utilized to maintain an
efficient, breathable identity in our urban environments. Smart growth is a fundamental part of an
economical and environmentally conscious future and serious efforts need to be
made to follow the steps necessary for perpetuating a successful future. Our urban environments are a huge part of who
we are, because they visually and specially shape our perceptions of the
surrounding environment and therefore our outlook on life. The environment that we may have grown up in
will uniquely shape who we become as people and is important for building a
memorable future. Smart growth has been
studied widely in many countries and is a popularly growing field of study
throughout the world as well. Using
smart growth methods, we can create urban environments that make us
comfortable, make us feel safe, and even help save us some money in the
process. The Environmental Protection
Agency has recognized many places around the United States for the use and
implementation of smart growth policies and procedures including Denver,
Colorado; Arlington, Virginia; Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota; and
Davidson, North Carolina. Other
notorious smart growth hot spots include Seattle and Eugene, Oregon; and
Various parts of California including San Francisco and Los Angeles. It doesn’t matter whether a city is large or
small because smart growth policies can be created and adapted to suit
differently sized cities with differing populations and demographical
characteristics. The smart growth
ideology is one which aims to encompass important positive, clear-minded
viewpoints and morals and pushes policy implementations that can help make our
communities a better place to live and work.
This message is especially noticed by cities and cultures that struggle
with or want to maintain efficiency, environmental responsibility, careful
planning and positive thinking. Smart
growth is a response created naturally by our race in order to cope and work
through future needs, demands and issues that will always naturally accompany
us. At the most fundamental level –
survival and physical/spatial adaptation. Bioliological reproduction and
procreation are scientific explanations as to why we have the instinct to
survive that we do. If we as a race are
always going to grow and expand, it is absolutely obvious that we must do our
best to conserve and plan our urban environments in ways that will be rewarding
and future conscious. Mike Lydon, author
of Tactical Urbanism and The Smart Growth Manual, as well as many
other popular urbanism articles and writings, states that, “Tactical Urbanism
is pure American know-how. It is the common sense that housed, fed, and
prospered an entire continent of penniless immigrants.” (Lydon ). It seems that here Lydon is speaking about
urbanism in a uniquely defined way. Tactical urbanism refers to the idea that
efficient growth and expansion must be approached in a tactical, organized and
meaningful way. In many continents,
urbanism needs to be aggressively strategized.
The rest of the above mentioned quote by Lydon describes how the United
States has always had many people without a lot of money who must search to
find a better way into the future through means of smarter thinking and
awareness. As the quote says, tactical
urbanism is the common sense that housed, fed, and prospered an entire
continent.
Smart growth is not only
a specific set of ideas that can offer strategies as to how to spatially manage
the future but it is also a fact that the term is also a factor for quality of
life. The overall goals of smart growth
models and case studies seen around the world are better conditions and better
quality of life derived from those conditions.
We all want better quality of life. Some are more motivated and willing
to fight for change than others. In essence,
smart growth is a mechanism used for successful propulsion into the future by
means of smart spatial thinking, policy, respect of resources, and
morality. Some might say that the most
fundamental part of smart growth is mitigation and the fact that how we grow
now shapes the future for ourselves and others to come. Successful future growth depends on concise,
yet out of the box thinking as well as proper mitigation techniques to help us
plan for exponential future growth. It
wouldn’t be so far off to say that smart growth actually is a mitigation
technique itself divided and analyzed as separate parts for scholarly thinking
and understanding. This idea of smart
growth is so crucially important because it is comprised of so many different
subjects including economics, building design, demographics, geography and
politics as well as many others. Smart
growth is the smart way towards building a more improved future that meets the
demands of a growing race. Another great
quote by Lydon in Tactical Urbanism says
that,
“Tactical
Urbanism is used by a range of actors, including governments, business and
nonprofits, citizen groups, and individuals. It makes use of open and iterative
development processes, the efficient use of resources, and the creative potential
unleashed by social interaction. It is what Professor Nabeel Hamdi calls making
plans without the usual preponderance of planning.” (Lydon ).
There are 3 key aspects
of a successful physical urban environment that stand out to help to meet the
needs of now and also plan for the needs of the future.
·
Urban layout/Design – Spatial
relationships
·
Urban architecture/Building design
·
Proper access to the surrounding urban
environment
Urban layout and design
is what helps to shape the relationships made between people and things
throughout an urban environment. Urban
architecture, specifically with building design in mind, is what paints the
picture of what our environment is, by creating a unique signature or image of
an environment that will be perceived differently among individuals. Proper access to the surrounding network of
environments is especially important because of the fact that all life on Earth
naturally love to explore and thrive. We
need to be able to access the surrounding environment in order to explore, form
relationships and gain access to necessities.
Each of these 3 aspects are individually important and must be utilized
in order for continuous creation and adaptation of smart growth
environments.
Spatial relationships of
objects and people within a habitat shape the ideas and perceptions of the
people living within it. The physical
layout of an urban area is crucially important to providing happiness, access,
opportunity and safety as well as the ever important connection to Mother
Nature. How we set up our physical
environment will ultimately decide how well we can utilize and access it over
time. Other key factors that can
influence or affect a spatial area are weather and climate, population and
level of technology. The way in which
people access their environment spatially greatly contributes to how that
society will grow and adapt to future conditions.
The Sustainable Urban
Development Reader is a collection of articles and writings by experts in the
new-urbanism fields and contains many stories of how cities around the United
States are adapting smart growth lifestyles as well as creating policies that
help to promote smart future growth.
Topics in the book that are covered include land use, urban design,
transportation, ecological planning and restoration, energy and materials use,
economic development, social and environmental justice, and green architecture
and building. Examples of these cities
are Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; and Los Angeles, California. Seattle is a city that began raising awareness
towards sustainability through community outreach and participation, which
eventually lead to the organization of larger, more funded grassroots and
environmental organizations. Portland is
a city that has been known for renovation and restoration of ripe, unused sites
among various locations. One of these
locations included the Lloyd District area in Portland, Oregon. In 2004, the thirty-five block community was
in desperate need of an overhaul and refreshment and an ambitious
sustainability vision and plan was released by the Portland Development
Commission. In Los
Angeles, an Eco Village was created 3 blocks west of downtown that promoted
smart ideas such as eco gardens, food trade programs, and other sustainable
habits. The three of these cities are
just a few of many around the United States that promote smart growth. Urban design, urban architecture, and urban
access are all aspects of an area located among a city that should be taken
into consideration when planning smart growth models, policies and
actions.
Urban design focuses on
the general layout of an area—the organization of buildings and other nodes or
points of interest and how they are all connected. A smart and well maintained design will
create the feel of an easy to navigate area as well as the perception of a
smooth and efficient flow. Schools are
located close to the neighborhoods that they serve, stores are strategically
placed between neighborhoods and gas stations are placed everywhere to promote
transportation ease. Access to close
entertainment is also a very fundamental part of a smart and well-designed
area. The question is, how can
environments be well designed as well as truly smart and sustainable? What
truly separates nice, ordinary cities from cities that promote smart growth
thinking? One way that communities can
create a more meaningful urban design is to integrate open space and park lands
throughout neighborhoods and cities in generous quantity. The quality of life and the well-being of
people living among cities can be greatly increased by promoting more space for
mother nature to grow and thrive within our modern, urban environments. Other urban design characteristics that must
be considered in order to promote smart growth thinking include community
common areas, parks, transportation hubs, greenways and paths, streets,
schools, health centers, and both private and commercial properties. Building design and access to surrounding
communities and hotspots are also important in the development of a city moving
towards smart growth.
Building design is
important for smart growth cities and opportunities for renovations in older
buildings are great starting points for cities to implement new building design
updates and standards as part of the comprehensive plan. One example of how sustainability can be
achieved through building design is the LEED sustainable building rating
system. This system ranks building and
infrastructures on their sustainability characteristics and is a competitive
way to promote smart growth and more sustainable new-urbanism projects and
visions. Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) is one of the most popular green building certification
programs used worldwide. Developed by
the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) it includes a set of rating
systems for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of green
buildings, homes, and neighborhoods that aims to help building owners and
operators be environmentally responsible and use resources efficiently. The LEED system is also categorized into
groupings which can be visualized with the following chart.
The LEED system is a
great way to track the progress of present construction projects as well as
monitor construction and renovation of newer and older buildings alike. It is useful to understand that green
architecture and design is not just focused on the layout and use of the building
itself, but also the ways in which construction and materials use affects
surrounding communities and natural resources.
Some materials are more ecologically friendly to use than others and it
is important to use both types in proper balance.
Functionality is a major
goal and improvement area for the smart growth model, but what does it truly
take to create an urban environment that can compete with the growing and
changing world? It is useful to approach
urban design from a local spectacle, at a city or neighborhood level. Quality cities are created by a network of
quality neighborhoods and towns so to examine the fundamental levels of smart
growth it is necessary to examine neighborhood design and local spatial
concepts. It is well known the key
characteristics of a neighborhood that makes it great or not so great to live
in. Many are obvious, but the following
are some examples: Open space to infrastructure ratio, architecture and roadway
dimensions, general functionality, spatial density, etc. When designing a neighborhood with the smart
growth model in mind, it should be expected that the neighborhood has characteristics
that fit a spatially conscious and nature friendly master plan. It should also follow strict but necessary
guidelines and regulations that are set in place to guide and regulate spatial
efficiency. A neighborhood with more
land and less population density per area is more design friendly and desirable
but is costlier and inefficient. In
contrast, a neighborhood with very high population and infrastructure density
is space-saving and spatially efficient, but it can feel crowded and over
populated and is less desirable by many.
The biggest challenge of truly following a smart growth model is finding
the balance between efficiency and comfort.
There will always be pros and cons to each decision made in the planning
of a neighborhood, and each should be evaluated very closely when planning for
a green community.
In a municipality, the physical landscape,
on public and private property, are guided and maintained by enforcing a set of
codes or regulations which moderately control the physical creation or layout
of a plot of land including its internal and surrounding infrastructure. For example, both residential and commercial
infrastructure have specific building codes while the surrounding
infrastructure, the streets, sewers, parks, etc. also have codes specific to
their nature. By creating a standardized
set of physical codes and regulations, we can control and actively monitor the
progress of our built environment. In
the context of smart growth, neighborhoods need to be efficiently designed. Streets should be just wide enough for cars
to pass. Crosswalks must be placed
adequately in order to promote proper pedestrian support. Streets and communication signals must be
adequately placed and programmed to account for changing traffic density. Residential neighborhoods should be built in
combination with an adequate amount of parks and open space acreage. Neighborhoods should be designed to compete
within the flow of a larger city. For
example, grocery stores, health centers, financial institutions, and other
necessary services should be placed strategically and closely to the
surrounding neighborhoods. Design review
is required through the establishment of design standards and guidelines
through several zone districts, as well as separate rules and regulations
applied to certain properties throughout the city. Design standards and guidelines are
frequently established through the general development plan
process and encouraged through small area plan recommendations.
The image above is an excerpt from the City
and County of Denver Streetscape design manual.
The table of contents indicates the organization of the streets and surrounding
structures. Denver attributes to the
smart growth way of design by stating,
“The idea that our use of resources today
should not impair the quality of life of future generations is a central goal
of Comprehensive Plan 2000 and Blueprint Denver. Additionally, Greenprint Denver was launched
in 2005 to advance and further support the integration of environmental impact
analysis into the city's programs and policies, alongside economic and social
analysis.”
An example of some of the regulations regarding
streetscape design and layout can be read as follows. In this case, the code is referring to the
use and design of sidewalks.
Sidewalks must maintain a clear unobstructed pedestrian path. In
downtown Denver, 10 feet width is required. In other areas 10 feet width is
desired but as little as 5 feet may be allowed in constrained locations. A 5-foot width is the minimum for residential
areas.
The design manual not only lists
spatial specifications but also recommends trees and plants that should be used
throughout the city for best results.
All of these specifications are in part what influence the decisions
that must be made in order to lean towards a smart growth community. Conservative design will reduce material use
and the use of native plants and trees will extend street tree and plant
life. Recyclable materials can be used
in the creation of new fixtures, and LEED systems can be put into place to
strengthen efficiency and increase equity and sustainability. Denver does a good job at providing streets
that aren’t just for cars anymore. They
include busses, trains, pedestrians and bicyclists and specific design
standards are mandatory for these mix use pathways. Smart growth is a better way to build and
maintain our towns and cities. Smart growth means building urban, suburban and
rural communities with housing and transportation choices near jobs, shops and
schools. This approach supports local economies and protects the
environment. At the heart of the
American dream is the simple hope that each of us can choose to live in a
neighborhood that is beautiful, safe, affordable and easy to get around. Smart
growth does just that. Smart growth creates healthy communities with strong
local businesses. Smart growth creates neighborhoods with schools and shops
nearby and low-cost ways to get around for all our citizens. Smart growth
creates jobs that pay well and reinforces the foundations of our economy.
Americans want to make their neighborhoods great, and smart growth strategies
help make that dream a reality. Denver
remains a good example of a city that implements smart growth thinking into the
comprehensive planning process. Smart
growth planning along with the codes and regulations that support it, is
fundamentally important for creating future cities that are comfortable and
useful.
