Community by Design: New Urbanism for Suburbs and Small Communities

by Kenneth B. Hall and Gerald A. Porterfield

Book Overview

*A practical guide to implementing New Urbanism principles in suburbs and small communities

*Case studies present clear solutions for typical suburban problems: the need for pedestrian access, the lack of parking, the presence of industrial-park eyesores, and the issue of how to create a "sense of place"

*Illustrations take architects and planners step-by-step through the design and development process

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 007134523X
• ISBN13: 9780071345231
• Release Date: April 2001
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill
• Length: 296 Pages
• Weight: 1.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 7.6" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

How to Create Beautiful Developments

I was originally unattracted to the book due to what I knew of 'new urbanism' and its leftist- I dare say socialist- doctrines. But I was mistaken; this book does not advocate packing people into small space for the sake of 'saving nature' and eliminating 'urban sprawl.' Rather, it is a pragmatic approach to building beautiful communities. This book is richly illustrated with diagrams and photos that show how a land developer can create a sense of place. I specifically enjoyed how to design road systems to achieve different feelings within a subdivision. It is detailed and yet not overly so that the reader would become bogged down in technicalities. It is absolutely superb.

Good design

I bought this book to assist in my subdivision design work. I find it to be comprehensive and applicable to practical situations. The book covers pertinent areas of community design that is not easily understood when reading other text.

Suggests ways to make our communities better

I like this book because it suggests ways to make our communities better. I really like books that talk about how we can improve the status quo and/or better alternatives to the status quo.

Community By Design

This is an excellent introduction to how the philosophy of New Urbanism can be applied to suburbs. It would be very helpful to people serving on Zoning & Planning Commissions or City Councils.

Recommendation from the author

I wanted to take the opportunity to recommend this book to anyone who has wondered why every place in America looks like everywhere else. There's a funny line in the Rocky and Bullwinkle movie where "our heros" are traveling by car across America in a race against time to foil the plan of the arch villan. As they pass the same gas station and fast food franchise again and again Bullwinkle says, "Haven't we been here before?" That was the same reaction my seven-year old had this summer when we were on our family vacation. We were in Richmond, Virginia and he said we've been here before because I remember that place over there. I had to explain to him what franchise architecture was and how just about every town in America has one of those types of buildings. This is a sad commentary on the American landscape that we as consumers expect the to see the familiar sign of our favorite business. This is one reason why I wrote this book; to let folks know that there's a better way. In fact, we used to do it better. The types of places that capture our attention and long to live are the places that were built prior to World War II. The small towns that so many families idealize as the place they'd rather raise their kids are the same places that couldn't be built today because of "modern" zoning ordinances. And the sad thing is today's generation is the first to be raised totally in a suburban environment that requires owning an automobile just to survive. If you're intersted in how this could change and what the alternatives are Community by Design is your book! There's 250 illustrations and photos that show you what's possible right now. The book helps you understand why community can and should be designed and lets you see some places where it has been. If you ask me this is a great book. ...