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TND
NEIGHBORHOODS |
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Welcome to the New Urbanism
The planning of conventional suburbs is based on the
rigid separation of land uses. The assumption is that everyone going from
place to place will use a car. Consequently, modern cities have become
dominated by pavement that sprawls in vast distances across the landscape.
In the process, farms and wilderness are destroyed. Residents spend much
of their day in traffic, and everyone budgets a lot of money for transportation.
If people are going to walk, there have to be places to go and things to do nearby. There must be an assortment of private, commercial and public buildings; these buildings must be connected by a variety of public spaces. Good neighborhoods also have a balance of jobs, housing and services. A new urban neighborhood (also known as traditional neighborhood development, or TND) is created at the human scale. Buildings are placed closer together and exteriors are designed to be safe and attractive for pedestrians. Streets are constructed for slower speeds and traffic is dispersed through many different connections. Walking in front of a business or around town is simply a pleasant, interesting activity. Neighborhoods like these have survived and prospered over the centuries. New urbanism returns to these time-tested principles and adapts them for a healthy, sustainable 21st century.
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