| John L. Gann, Jr., "Marketing and Medical Research May Support Close-Knit Communities," Planning & Zoning News, January, 2003, p. 22.
The virtues of Close-Knit Communities find support from a marketing expert and health research. A small, intimate scale in our environment makes people feel more important and comfortable, claims a marketing author. And people who live in neighborhoods that facilitate walking boost their health by walking more often. "Close-Knit Communities: An Affordable Option to New Urbanism," Small Cities, Nov.-Dec., 2002. The New Urbanism built in a few big city markets doesn't always work in smaller places. But its benefits might be achieved in smaller markets through Close-Knit Community Planning. As "a middle-class version" of compact development, a prominent planning authority believes CKC can be more widely implemented. John L. Gann, Jr., "The Sound of MUSIC: Orchestrating Growth Without Sprawl," Planning & Zoning News, March, 2004, p 5. Most factors that have produced sprawl are unlikely to change. But replacing single-use space with land used for multiple purposes can allow growth that is more land-con-serving. Multi-use space in Close-Knit Communities in older cities offers models for better use of land devoted to streets, parking, and housing. |
John L. Gann, Jr., "Reverse Zoning for Close-Knit Communities," Planning & Zoning News, June, 2004, p. 5.
Planners have had to resort to PUD provisions to allow New Urbanist developments, and some architects now insist on scrapping zoning in favor of Form-Based Regulation by architectural drawings. But both can discourage sprawl-fighting development. Instead, Reverse Zoning provisions can more readily facilitate compact communities. John L. Gann, Jr., "Fighting Sprawl with Close-Knit Community Planning," The Vantage Point, (Pennsylvania Planning Association) June, 2004, p. 8. The "Old Urbanism" found in city neighborhoods like Pittsburgh's offers living environments that are more amenable, more affordable, and easier to build and regulate than New Urbanism. Close-Knit Community Planning offers a way to democratize elite New Urbanism in a way that can more effectively control sprawl. To return to other articles on Close-Knit Communities, click here. |