Traditional neighborhood developments, or TNDs, have become a design and planning strategy to combat the negative effects of suburban sprawl. There are, however, questions as to whether or not these new developments will prove to be an effective tool in the long-term struggle against sprawl and if the developments will prove to be sustainable. The American Heritage Dictionary defines sustainable as “capable of being continued with minimal long-term effect on the environment.”
While all development has some effect on the natural environment, sustainable development aims to minimize the long-term effects on the environment by encouraging more intelligent growth within the determined boundaries of the development and addresses not only environmental issues but social and economic factors as well.
Therefore, the definition of sustainability that we shall use for the purposes of this research endeavor reads as “human settlement that is designed, built and operated in a way that environmental, social and economic practices used in all phases of development provide for efficiency and equity for present and future generations of humans and other species.”
The revised definition of sustainability employed for our research endeavor emphasizes the importance of people, place and process in all phases of the development’s design. Every phase of design should consider the importance of the social, environmental and economic factors involved in order to ensure the development’s sustainability.
The developments should strive to create a diverse social structure within which a strong community can be built. It is through the creation of a strong community identity that a development can begin to ensure its long-term sustainability. The establishment of a strong and diverse community creates a sense of civic pride within developments that is difficult to measure with empirical methods, however, communities that lack a sense of civic pride are often characterized as places that are unsafe, in a state of disrepair and lack a strong economic base.
Suburban sprawl does not foster the creation of a strong sense of community due to the fact that it places a greater emphasis on individualism than it does on civic pride. In addition to creating a sustainable community, new developments should address the needs and concerns of existing developments and communities through every phase of design and construction in order to minimize any negative effects the new developments may have on neighboring areas.
The physical location of sustainable developments should aim to reduce the over-consumption of land that suburban sprawl encourages. The sustainable development, while integrated into the existing community fabric, should have clearly defined boundaries that will determine the ultimate size of the development and establishes a place within the environment.
A current criticism of traditional neighborhood developments is that they still encourage the use of the private automobile due largely to the fact that they are located on former agricultural tracts of land that are too far removed from the urban core. While this is a valid criticism of TNDs, the do offer a sustainable alternative to suburban sprawl through the integration of commercial cores that are accessible by foot from any portion of the development.
It should be noted that establishing a commercial core that is accessible via pedestrian movement is not the determining factor that should be considered for addressing the issue of place. The boundaries of a place, and the community that is created within the place will determine whether or not the development will truly be sustainable.
While all development has some effect on the natural environment, sustainable development aims to minimize the long-term effects on the environment by encouraging more intelligent growth within the determined boundaries of the development and addresses not only environmental issues but social and economic factors as well.
Therefore, the definition of sustainability that we shall use for the purposes of this research endeavor reads as “human settlement that is designed, built and operated in a way that environmental, social and economic practices used in all phases of development provide for efficiency and equity for present and future generations of humans and other species.”
The revised definition of sustainability employed for our research endeavor emphasizes the importance of people, place and process in all phases of the development’s design. Every phase of design should consider the importance of the social, environmental and economic factors involved in order to ensure the development’s sustainability.
The developments should strive to create a diverse social structure within which a strong community can be built. It is through the creation of a strong community identity that a development can begin to ensure its long-term sustainability. The establishment of a strong and diverse community creates a sense of civic pride within developments that is difficult to measure with empirical methods, however, communities that lack a sense of civic pride are often characterized as places that are unsafe, in a state of disrepair and lack a strong economic base.
Suburban sprawl does not foster the creation of a strong sense of community due to the fact that it places a greater emphasis on individualism than it does on civic pride. In addition to creating a sustainable community, new developments should address the needs and concerns of existing developments and communities through every phase of design and construction in order to minimize any negative effects the new developments may have on neighboring areas.
The physical location of sustainable developments should aim to reduce the over-consumption of land that suburban sprawl encourages. The sustainable development, while integrated into the existing community fabric, should have clearly defined boundaries that will determine the ultimate size of the development and establishes a place within the environment.
A current criticism of traditional neighborhood developments is that they still encourage the use of the private automobile due largely to the fact that they are located on former agricultural tracts of land that are too far removed from the urban core. While this is a valid criticism of TNDs, the do offer a sustainable alternative to suburban sprawl through the integration of commercial cores that are accessible by foot from any portion of the development.
It should be noted that establishing a commercial core that is accessible via pedestrian movement is not the determining factor that should be considered for addressing the issue of place. The boundaries of a place, and the community that is created within the place will determine whether or not the development will truly be sustainable.
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