CITIZENS FOR A BETTER ENVIRONMENT
Livable Communities
The Problem: suburban sprawl
Since the 1950's the pattern of growth around and between cities has been one of scattered, low density, auto-oriented development, commonly known as "suburban sprawl." All the activities and services once located in downtowns have been redistributed across the countryside in office "parks," shopping centers, and along busy "arterial" highways. Scattered subdivisions are being plopped down everywhere. Consequently, despite small population growth, communities are spreading out and consuming much more land. This dispersed development pattern requires everyone to use a car all the time to accomplish every daily task, no matter how simple.
Sprawl development creates a number of social, eco-nomic and enviromental problems including: high infrastructure and service costs, air and water pollution, congestion and the isolation of people who cannot drive. Families suffer the financial burden of owning two or more cars, and long commutes are frustrating and costly in time and money for workers and their employees.
The Solution: Build for People not Cars
Imagine a community where residents can walk to a neighborhood center to shop or see their doctor, go to the post office or the bank. A community where children can safely walk or bike to school, parks or their friend's homes. A neighborhood located only a brief transit ride from work or downtown.
To achieve this vision, we need to curb sprawl development and create more compact, mixed-use, and walkable communities so that driving is optional, not mandatory.
Compact Development
To access what we need without having to use an automobile, destinations need to be close together. Even if one is driving, a concentration of services permits one to park then walk to several places.
The way to concentrate services is to develop "centers" that can include homes, small shops, services, offices and public buildings. Walkways and bicycle routes can provide connections from centers to surrounding single-family residential neighborhoods, providing people with convenient access to daily needs and work. Such centers are like old street car communities where people lived within walking distance of a town center.
Mixed Use Neighborhoods
Mixed use means locating a variety of different land uses -- housing, schools, small shops, offices and neighborhod services -- within walking distance of one another. This allows people to perform daily tasks without having to drive. Studies have shown that mixing land uses alone can reduce vehicle trips in the suburbs by 18 to 25 percent. It also provides activity at all times of the day which makes places safer and more attractive for walking.
Pedestrian-friendly Design
People will walk, bicycle and take public transit to many activities, but only if it is pleasant, convenient and safe. Most places today are designed entirely for the automobile and are unpleasant and unsafe to walk. Since all transit riders begin and end their trip as pedestrians, creating an appealing environment is critical for increasing transit use as well as pedestrian travel. Key steps include:
1. Building up to the sidewalk and street- Most stores are set back from the sidewalk, forcing pedestrians to walk unprotected across large parking lots. Put parking behind businesses to get cars out of the way, providing a more attractive street-front for everyone.
2. Providing a comfortable and interesting environment- Design attractive storefronts with windows and openings on the first floor, and provide amenities such as covered walkways, public plazas, benches, appropriate lighting and nice places to eat and drink.
3. Creating streets for people as well as cars- All parts of a community should be connected by streetsor paths so pedestrians and bicyclists have short, direct routes to their destinations. Narrow, tree-lined streets, smaller intersections, and other "traffic calming" designs should be used in residential areas and activity centers to slow and limit traffic. Noisy high-speed traffic and long distances are the factors that most discourage walking.
CBE's development models
As part of CBE's Livable Communities Program, CBE is preparing "model" development plans for four southeast Wisconsin locations. Our goal is to illustrate livable community alternatives to our current auto-oriented development.
CBE hopes to positively influence future development at the four selected locations. In addition, these plans will provide models that can be replicated elsewhere in the region and state. CBE is working with the communities and property owners of each site to make sure their goals and ideas for the properties are incorporated into the plan.
One of the sites chosen by CBE is the Capitol Court Shopping Center along Fond du Lac Avenue in Milwaukee. The existing shopping center sits like a fortress surrounded by a sea of asphalt parking, cut off from the adjacent neighborhood. The proposed development plan, propared by Planning & Design, Inc. would integrate the shopping center with the neighborhood's existing housing and retail businesses.
The plan envisions replacement of the current surface parking lot within a new multilevel structure adjacent to the building. The land now taken up by parking would be redeveloped over time with additional stores and housing. A traditional small block "grid" street system would be added to connect to the existing city streets. This would provide access to street-front retail stores and the mall. On-street parking would be permitted to provide a buffer between pedestrians and traffic, and to calm traffic in the area.
CBE works to promote livable communities through its transportation and land use program. Since 1990 CBE has worked on creating a balanced transportation system and more compact growth in Wisconsin. Our accomplishments and current work include:
CBE has a Livable Communities video, slide show and display. For more information on these and other educational materials, contact CBE's Milwaukee office:
152 W. Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510- Milwuakee, Wi 53203
Phone (414) 271-7280 Fax (414) 271-5904
e-mail: cbewi@igc.apc.org