10 STEPS TO GOOD URBAN PLANNING
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10 STEPS TO GOOD URBAN PLANNING (This is reprinted from the Philadelphia Daily News) By HARRIS STEINBERG Editor's note: Foxwoods casino will be presenting its building and design plan to the Planning Commission tomorrow, so we wanted expert advice on how to judge the value of this and other major city design proposals. We asked Harris Steinberg, director of PennPraxis of the School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania, who, since October, has been working with the commission and a 46-member advisory group to shape a civic vision for the central Delaware (from Allegheny to Oregon, and the river to I-95). (Learn more about the project at www.planphilly.com). Here are 10 steps to good urban planning: 1. STREET SMARTS Does the project respect the Philadelphia block structure or does it sprawl over many acres? Does the building squarely meet the sidewalk or float in a suburban-style landscape? Philadelphia city blocks are eas y to walk along w ith a fine -grained city street grid that disperses multiple building uses and traffic efficiently. 2. DOES SIZE MATTER? How big is the project? Macy's and Wal-Mart are both big retail boxes but Macy's (the old Wanamaker's) sits on a city street with parking below grade and shop windows on the sidewalk. Wal -Mart is an island surrounded by a sea of surface parking. Which would you rather walk past? 3. CITIES ARE FOR PEOPLE Cities and riverfronts are made for people. Is the development pedestrian -friendly, designed in a way that will encourage walking, biking, strolling and jogging? Is there public art to lift the spirit? Do the public spaces encourage people to linger and socialize or is it a gated comm unity designed to keep the public out? 4. WATERFRONT TRAINING Does the development support public transit, or is it solely dependent on cars? Look for development that reduces our carbon footprint and promotes mixed-use, transit-oriented projects. 5. PAVING PARADISE How are cars handled? Are they parked discretely out of sight, underground or behind buildings? Or is the site overwhelmed by parking (on the surface or in garages) ? Storing cars takes up a lot of room and sucks the vibrancy out of urban areas. 6. SELF-AWARENESS Can you see the water from the street or does the development create a wall between the public and the water? Think about how you don't know there's an ocean out th ere when you drive down Pacific A venue in Atlantic City. You want to be able to see the river as you move along the river. 7. EDGE CONDITION Public access to the river's edge is your right. After all, the river's edges are held in public trust by the commonwealth fo r the people of the state. Make sure that development allows you to gracefully get to the water to boat, fish, relax and exercise. And once you're there, make sure you can walk and bike north and south along the river. 8. WHERE'S THE BEEF? What does the ground floor of the d evelopment look like? Are there shops and cafes, hair salons and dry cleaners? Or are there blank walls, mechanical rooms, loading docks and parking garages. Make sure that the ground floor has active, people - oriented spaces and places. 9. BUILD ON THE PAST Does the development respect our history or destroy it? How are existing structures from the industrial past used in the new development? Will the new building be a future landmark? 10. RESPECT FOR THE RIVER
Transcript of 10 STEPS TO GOOD URBAN PLANNING
8/7/2019 10 STEPS TO GOOD URBAN PLANNING
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10 STEPS TO GOOD URBAN PLANNING(This is reprinted from the Philadelphia Daily News)
By HARRIS STEINBERG
Editor's note: Foxwoods casino will be presenting its building and design plan to the Planning Commission tomorrow, so we
wanted expert advice on how to judge the value of this and other major city design proposals. We asked Harris Steinberg,
director of PennPraxis of the School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania, who, since October, has been working withthe commission and a 46-member advisory group to shape a civic vision for the central Delaware (from Allegheny to Oregon,and the river to I-95). (Learn more about the project at www.planphilly.com). Here are 10 steps to good urban planning:
1. STREET SMARTS
Does the project respect the Philadelphia block structure or does it sprawl over many acres? Does the building squarely meet
the sidewalk or float in a suburban-style landscape?
Philadelphia city blocks are easy to walk along with a fine -grained city street grid that disperses multiple building uses andtraffic efficiently.
2. DOES SIZE MATTER?
How big is the project? Macy's and Wal-Mart are both big retail boxes but Macy's (the old Wanamaker's) sits on a city street
with parking below grade and shop windows on the sidewalk. Wal -Mart is an island surrounded by a sea of surface parking.
Which would you rather walk past?
3. CITIES ARE FOR PEOPLE
Cities and riverfronts are made for people. Is the development pedestrian -friendly, designed in a way that will encouragewalking, biking, strolling and jogging? Is there public art to lift the spirit?
Do the public spaces encourage people to linger and socialize or is it a gated community designed to keep the public out?
4. WATERFRONT TRAINING
Does the development support public transit, or is it solely dependent on cars? Look for development that reduces our carbon
footprint and promotes mixed-use, transit-oriented projects.
5. PAVING PARADISE
How are cars handled? Are they parked discretely out of sight, underground or behind buildings? Or is the site overwhelmed
by parking (on the surface or in garages)? Storing cars takes up a lot of room and sucks the vibrancy out of urban areas.
6. SELF-AWARENESS
Can you see the water from the street or does the development create a wall between the public and the water? Think about
how you don't know there's an ocean out there when you drive down Pacific A venue in Atlantic City. You want to be able tosee the river as you move along the river.
7. EDGE CONDITION
Public access to the river's edge is your right. After all, the river's edges are held in public trust by the commonwealth fo r thepeople of the state. Make sure that development allows you to gracefully get to the water to boat, fish, relax and exercise.And once you're there, make sure you can walk and bike north and south along the river.
8. WHERE'S THE BEEF?
What does the ground floor of the d evelopment look like? Are there shops and cafes, hair salons and dry cleaners? Or arethere blank walls, mechanical rooms, loading docks and parking garages. Make sure that the ground floor has active, people -oriented spaces and places.
9. BUILD ON THE PAST
Does the development respect our history or destroy it? How are existing structures from the industrial past used in the new
development? Will the new building be a future landmark?
10. RESPECT FOR THE RIVER
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The river and its edge are part of a signi ficant ecosystem. Does the development respect the watershed? Does it skillfully
manage storm water, reduce greenhouse gases and contribute to the quality of life of the river wards?
These are the basic building blocks of sound urban planning. They put pe ople first. It's the city's job to establish the street
grid, create parks and open spaces, and lay down rules that the development community follows. It's the developers' job tobuild projects that respect the public's right to live, work and play along g enerous streets, sidewalks and public spaces that
connect us with the river and each other. *
The Central Delaware Advisory Group meets on July 23, 8 a.m., at 1515 Arch St., 18th floor. The public is invited.
