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Friday, May 21, 2010

Codifying New Urbanism

By Buck Abbey, ASLA, LASN associate editor for ordinances

Landscape Standards

One of the really great things about new urbanism is the zoning philosophy provides additional design standards for landscape architects. In a field where design is often “as you want it,” it is wonderful to have specific standards that many can agree to as a theoretical basis for landscape architecture design.
In the years following the creation of Seaside, Florida in 1981 (see the March 2007 column), many books, columns and articles have been published about new urbanism and its essential definition.
New urbanism stresses community design and comprehensive planning from the regional scale to the disposition of the downtown lot. New urbanism principles seek to promote social togetherness, urban livability, reinvestment in the city center and the abatement of urban sprawl. It also seeks to decrease separation of land uses based upon race, income, automobile usage and environmental deterioration—all symptoms of poor land use planning. 

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