Streets and the Shaping of Towns and Cities

by Southworth, Michael; Ben-Joseph, Eran

• ISBN13: 9781559639163
• ISBN10: 1559639164
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-06-27
• Publisher: Island Pr

Summary

The topic of streets and street design is of compelling interest today as public officials, developers, and community activists seek to reshape urban patterns to achieve more sustainable forms of growth and development. Streets and the Shaping of Towns and Citiestraces ideas about street design and layout back to the early industrial era in London suburbs and then on through their institutionalization in housing and transportation planning in the United States. It critiques the situation we are in and suggests some ways out that are less rigidly controlled, more flexible, and responsive to local conditions.Originally published in 1997, this edition includes a new introduction that addresses topics of current interest including revised standards from the Institute of Transportation Engineers; changes in city plans and development standards following New Urbanist, Smart Growth, and sustainability principles; traffic calming; and ecologically oriented street design. "

Author Biography

Eran Ben-Joseph is assistant professor of landscape architecture and planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Introduction: Street Standards and the Built Environment	p. 1
The Power of Street Standards	p. 3
The Social and Environmental Impacts of Street Standards	p. 5
Trends in Street Design and Regulation	p. 7
About This Book	p. 14
Gritty Cities and Picturesque Villages: The Origins of Suburban Design Standards in England and the United States	p. 17
A Brief Look at Street Design Standards of Antiquity	p. 17
The First Suburbs in England	p. 28
John Nash and Park Village	p. 29
Olmsted, Vaux, and the American Suburb	p. 33
Orderly Streets for Healthy Cities: Social Response to Urban Disorder	p. 43
The "Bye-law" Street	p. 45
Bedford Park Adapts the Bye-law Street	p. 47
Unwin, Parker, and the Garden Cities	p. 50
Charles Mulford Robinson and the Street as a Work of Art	p. 56
Streets for the Motor Age: The Car and the Urban Scene	p. 61
Movements for Road and Street Improvement	p. 61
The Car in the Early 1900s	p. 64
Early Responses to the Automobile	p. 65
The Rise of Comprehensive Planning	p. 66
Stein, Wright, and Radburn	p. 70
Perry, Adams, and the Neighborhood Unit	p. 76
European Modernism and the Vision for New Streets	p. 79
The Asphalt Path	p. 83
The Institute of Transportation Engineers Is Born	p. 83
Bureaucracy Takes Control: The Institutionalization of Standards	p. 85
The President's Conference on Home Building and Home Ownership	p. 85
Adoption of Neighborhood Unit and Garden City Principles	p. 88
Street Regulations Take Root	p. 89
The Federal Housing Administration Promotes Suburbanization	p. 90
FHA's First Standards	p. 91
Standards Establish the Cul-de-sac Pattern	p. 92
Controlling Subdivision through Local Plat Approval	p. 96
The Influence of the Building Industry on Street Design	p. 97
Accidents and Grids	p. 100
Streets for Living: Rethinking Neighborhood Streets	p. 105
Learning from Traditional Street Patterns	p. 105
Kentlands	p. 106
Laguna West	p. 108
Elmwood: A Traditional Streetcar Suburb	p. 109
Neotraditional Street Design and Pattern	p. 111
Comparing Street Patterns	p. 113
Pedestrian Access	p. 115
The Shared Street Concept	p. 117
Design Characteristics of Shared Streets	p. 122
The Social Benefits	p. 124
Safety	p. 125
Prospects for Shared Streets in Suburbia	p. 126
The Case for Cul-de-sacs	p. 128
Walkable Suburbs?	p. 137
Tomorrow's Streets: Toward New Neighborhood Street Standards	p. 139
Liability Concerns in Reevaluating Standards	p. 140
Local Controls and Design Initiatives	p. 141
Semiprivate Streets for Flexibility	p. 144
Performance Standards Versus Specifications	p. 146
The Limitations of Flexible Planning	p. 149
Some Design Criteria for Better Residential Street Standards	p. 150
Looking at Community Street Standards	p. 154
The Work Ahead	p. 155
Chronology of Events in the Development of Residential Street Standards	p. 159
A Graphic Survey of Street Cross Sections	p. 163
Narrow Streets Data	p. 167
Chapter End Notes	p. 171
Other References	p. 183
Index	p. 189
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