Traditional Neighborhood Development

      When we think of the neighborhoods of old, we picture communities with houses close to the sidewalk, interconnected streets, and neighbors looking out for one another. Residents could walk to school, the park, and the grocery store. With the Upstate in the midst of a tremendous population and housing boom, we have the opportunity to recapture some of these qualities by using Traditional Neighborhood Design (TND). TND offers residents more choices in housing, commerce, transportation, and recreational opportunities, while building a more socially cohesive and environmentally sensitive community.

Contemporary development has shifted away from the historic pattern of residential growth occurring around a core center of civic buildings, public squares, and houses of worship. Our communities are increasingly comprised of subdivisions isolated from civic and commercial activity. In place of the original grid of streets upon which our communities were established, most new developments have one or two entrances, and their streets end in cul-de-sacs. Although some homebuyers will continue to prefer separate, homogenous subdivisions, the market has not yet realized the potential of offering the alternative of Traditional Neighborhood Developments.

TNDs, popularized by architects Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, generally include the following:

• A discernable center: helps maintain a “sense of place” and serves as a potential transportation node for transit
• Most dwellings within a five-minute walk of the center: enables residents to use non-motorized transportation to access central amenities
• Variety of dwelling types, such as townhouses, single-family houses, and apartments: provides housing opportunities for people of all demographics (younger, older, kids, no kids)
• Shops and offices at the edge: provides easy access to work and other essential activities
• Small playgrounds close to dwellings: promotes recreational and community-building opportunities
• Small ancillary buildings permitted in back of houses: provides space for rental housing (e.g. for students or elderly) and small offices
• Schools within walking distance: promotes active living opportunities for children while reducing traffic and air congestion
• Streets connected by a network: decreases traffic congestion
• Street trees and narrower streets: slows traffic and creates a more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly scale
• Parking lots and garage doors are put at the rear of buildings, often on alleys: promotes a pedestrian scale and cohesive street aesthetic

Dilworth, in Charlotte, NC, was built in 1891 and serves as a model for…

By incorporating the above design elements, TNDs create diverse and vibrant communities that facilitate human interaction, encourage physical activity, and enable people of different incomes and life stages to live in proximity. Highly successful examples of TNDs abound: Kentlands in Gaithersburg, Maryland; Vermillion in Huntersville, North Carolina; I’on Village in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina; and Habersham in Beaufort, South Carolina are but a few. Here in the Upstate, two TNDs are slated for construction: Verdae and Acadia, both in Greenville.

…newly-developed TNDs like Vermillion, in Huntersville, NC. Upstate Forever took a field trip to these two communities in February, 2001.

We can create places in which we love to live, play and work. TNDs are compact communities that meet the growing and diverse housing needs of our population while preserving open space and increasing opportunities for active living—places where we can feel connected.

Additional resources & information:

• Congress for the New Urbanism
• NewUrbanism.org
• Local Government Commission
• The New Old Neighborhood: New Urbanist Town Centers
  Find Success in 2 Southern Cities
  EnviroLink Handbook Southeast, 2005
• Verdae Development, Greenville, SC
• Acadia, Greenville, SC
• Kentlands, Gaithersburg, MD
• Vermillion, Huntersville, NC
• Habersham, Beaufort, SC
• I’on Village, Mt. Pleasant, SC