Sunday, February 14, 2010

All you need to know

This is a talk given in San Antonio, TX, back in 1991 by new urbanist planner and architect Andres Duany.

Duany talks about the elusively simple way to create a sense of place, the confused psychology of suburbia, separtion of building and neighborhood uses, building set-backs, the importance of on-street parking, height/width ratios, affordable housing, lack of choice on proximity to commerce/services. Duany points out that big box development is not a result of lax, laissez-faire approach to planning (a common thought among critics of sprawl), but by very rigid labrynth of codes dreamed up by several generations of planning groupthink. Urban spaces are simple and affordable to build, but illegal under codes (even in traditionally urban areas.

Although this talk was given 19 years ago, and dealt mostly with planning issues in suburban areas of the U.S. Sun Belt, it is totally (and unfortunately) relevent to Winnipeg of 2010.

Part One


Part Two


Part Three


Part Four


Part Five

Granny Flats and affordable housing, sense of place

Part Six


Part Seven


Part Eight


Part Nine

4 Comments:

Blogger moc said...

As a soon-to-be Masters of Planning graduate, I can't recall many mentions at all in the past two+ years of planning education that most municipalities' current zoning regulations are the result of a laissez-faire approach. Much of my own research (both individually and in our group projects led by seasoned academics and practicing professional planners) has led me to understand that the inflexibility created in current zoning is indeed the result of an unnecessarily rigid set of codes that overgeneralizes the types, intensities and needs of all land uses. The common refrain from my colleagues across different schools is not to introduce more restrictions, but to relax or eliminate the ones already hampering the development (or redevelopment) of quality urban spaces.

4:33 PM  
Blogger The Rise and Sprawl said...

Well, that is encouraging.

5:41 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

MOC, you should really take a look at whats happening in North York Ontario.

Whole neighborhoods are being mowed down for condo's. Very nice brick homes in established areas are bought out and bulldozed.

They seem to be very loose in North York ( the City that Mel built )

8:11 PM  
Blogger urbandude said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ekn_2Kbw4Jw&feature=related

9:26 PM  

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