Town planning may seem like a boring job, but if done well, it’s a visionary way to transform where you live, using the same budget as now, just using more imagination and knowledge from New Urbanism architects. Andrés Duany has created beautiful towns in the US using his unique style of town planning, and his ideas are now used worldwide to prevent urban sprawl:
Seaside (Florida) is what Americans call an ‘uppity town’ (too expensive for us to live there). But nevertheless, it has fabulous features. Not only is this beautiful town on a lovely coastline with a main street filled with indie boutiques, but the church is purposely built to accommodate all faiths. The nearby city of Celebration ‘hides away’ cars so they don’t blot the streetscape, and features an Art-Deco inspired post office.
Mt Laurel (Alabama) is a new town, but the trees removed to build it, were then replanted, so the nature was always protected. This kind of looks like the old England you bet you wished you lived in: all quiet tree-lined streets, plenty of parks and nature walks, and there’s even a dog park divided in two (one for boisterous dogs and another for sleepy old shy dogs, so they don’t get stressed out!) You can not just walk from your home to the main market with plenty of indie shops, but you can even walk to the fire station!
Basic rules of New Urbanism town planning are to build streets on a grid system (so everywhere is easy to walk to) and people naturally ‘bump into each other’. Pavements are widened and trees are planted, and areas built up to makeover stark empty boulevards (see before/after photos below). Buildings are no more than four-storeys high to foster community, and there is good free or cheap public transport.
Use no-dig gardening to protect wildlife. Use fruit protection bags (over netting, which can trap birds and wildlife). Learn how to create gardens safe for pets (use humane slug/snail deterrents). Avoid facing indoor foliage to outdoor gardens, to help stop birds flying into windows.
Digital Before/After New Urbanism Images
Urban Advantage is a free ‘online book’ for town planners, by an American who earns his living producing digital before/after images of what towns could look like by widening pavements, planting trees etc. Take a look at these three before/after makeovers – it’s pretty addictive when you see what can be done!
