Module 5 – Urban Design & Urban Development

Arch 504 – Module 5 – Urban Design & Urban Development

   From the readings assigned for this, our fifth module of the semester, it occurs to me that building and zoning codes maintain a great deal of control regarding the shape that a city takes, and how that shape continues to evolve as that city grows older and older. To me, the success of any enforced design code can be reduced down to whether or not that code intends to be inclusive at its core, or intends to be exclusive. I believe codes that strive for the inclusion of all people have society’s best interests in mind, and codes that seek to exclude users are poisonous to our natural appetite for individuality.

   By this, I mean that Building and zoning codes can have the strength to drastically effect people’s lives, both directly, and indirectly. Take for example the form-based building codes enforced in the new urbanism project in Seaside, Florida. While this development has succeeded in many ways, its form based codes have rendered the community seemingly one dimensional. The homes all look the same, they cost about the same amount and the result is a community that from a glance appears to be all of a similar cast. Some may argue that these social similarities create a safer environment, but in my opinion it creates a dangerously uninteresting neighborhood that is the consequence of zoning and buildings codes. Such codes seek to exclude those who see the physical appearance of their home as an expression of who they are.

   Yet another significant influence that city officials have is the power to regulate through planning and building commissions the physical health and safety of their city’s residents. It is well documented that the health and fitness of all urbanites is directly influenced by their physical activity, an activity that is controlled in majority by a city’s walkability. A city’s walkability, in turn, has everything to do with how that urban area has been planned and coded. Portland, Oregon, for example, scores very high in both walkability and bike-ability according to walkability.com because of the way in which the city streets have been planned and designed. By mandating smaller block sizes and prioritizing alternative methods of transportation Portland has become one of the healthiest and most active cities in America, as stated in author Jeff Speck’s book “Walkable City”. The graphic below illustrates the comparative “size” of a city and its population. From this graphic we can quite accurately assume a city’s general well-being and fitness due to its activity. How bound to their vehicle are residents of Houston, Texas compared to those living in Amsterdam or Vancouver?

   While I do believe that building and zoning codes have every intent to provide for a safe and friendly public environment, I think it is also healthy to question such codes for the purpose of maintaining equality and character. Imagine a world where every city had block sizes like those in Irvine, California, made larger for vehicular efficiency and big box stores and neglecting to engage with or acknowledge the pedestrian experience.