New Urbanism: Bradburn
Posted by Sabina
Part 1
The
Charter of New Urbanism begins with a preamble which asserts
present-day urban ills (inner-city decay, suburban sprawl, the
deterioration of agricultural and wilderness lands, race and class based
segregation) and how they all propose an interrelated community
building challenge. The charter stands for the reconfiguration of
sprawling suburbs into communities of real neighborhoods and diverse
districts. They advocate that neighborhoods should be diverse in use and
population. Cities and towns should be shaped by physically defined and
universally accessible public spaces/community institutions, and
communities should be designed for pedestrian and transit as well as the
car. They are committed to reestablishing the relationship between the
art of building and the making of community. The charter consists of
twenty-seven principles, nine in each of three broad categories:
The region: metropolis, city, and town
Each of the multiple cities, towns, and villages within a
Metropolis has its own identifiable center and edge. As the city
expands, infill development within already existing urban areas will
conserve environmental resources, economic investment, and social
fabric. If development is non contiguous, it should be organized as
towns and villages with their own urban edges, planned for a job/housing
balance. The physical organization of the region should be supported by
a framework of transportation alternatives such as transit, pedestrian,
and bicycle systems.
The neighborhood, the district, and the corridor
Neighborhoods should be compact, pedestrian friendly, and
mixed use. Daily activities should occur within walking distance,
allowing those who choose not to or are unable to drive independence
from doing so. There should be a broad range of housing types and price
levels that can bring people of diverse ages, races, and incomes into
daily interactions. This will help strengthen personal and civic bonds
essential to an authentic community. Civic, institutional activity
should be embedded in neighborhoods and districts not in remote,
single-use complexes. Schools should be sized and located to enable
children to walk or bike to them. A range of parks should be distributed
throughout the neighborhood.
- The block, the street, and the building
The design of streets and buildings should reinforce safe
environments, but not at the expense of accessibility and openness.
Development must adequately accommodate automobiles, but in a way that
respects the pedestrian and form of public space. Streets and squares
should be safe, comfortable, and interesting to the pedestrian. Civic
buildings and public gathering places require important sites to
reinforce community identity and the culture of democracy. All buildings
should provide their inhabitants with a clear sense of location,
weather, and time.
Bradburn is a product of traditional neighborhood design (TND) or “new urbanism,” which benefits not only residents but the surrounding community through efficient land use; making it the perfect model for smart growth. Its developer, Continuum, is “dedicated to creating ecologically sustainable human habitats of extraordinary character and enduring value.”
Part 2
The Bradburn Development has a much different feel
than other surrounding developments. As
discussed in the Charter on New Urbanism, developments should contain multiple
levels of socioeconomic classes. In
Bradburn we see various types of housing structures. Ranging from trendy urban lofts to large
single family houses; Bradburn was developed to attract residents from various
backgrounds. During our walk through the
development, we spoke with several retired persons, saw numerous families with
children, and observed several individuals in their mid to late twenties.
Surrounding developments specifically catered to one
socioeconomic class. Typical suburban
homes are usually meant to attract families with children. The houses are all similar in size,
indicating similar socioeconomic class.
Within a mile of Bradburn there is a trailer park, medium and large size
homes. All the surrounding developments featured close access to a park,
however only Bradburn featured the numerous small parks scattered throughout
its acreage.
Compared to surrounding developments, Bradburn was
much more compact and pedestrian friendly.
It had narrower streets than more typical suburban development. The streets favor slower speeds and careful
driving so that children can play safely.
The narrow pathways scattered throughout Bradburn act as connecting
routes between the separate housing. We
do not see such connectivity in any other surrounding developments.
The wrap-around porches of Bradburn also provided a
different feel than surrounding neighborhoods.
They encouraged community due to the proximity of one another. While many developments have porches, they
are separated by a much greater distance than Bradburn porches are.
Part 3
Bradburn is an interesting community for the fact that it follows most goals described in the charter, however it does not seem to fit all:
The region: metropolis, city, and town
When looking at Bradburn as a metropolis, city, or town, it offers many of the characteristics needed to fit the description. While walking around the community it is easy to notice the variety of shops, restaurants, churches, bars, parks, pools, and housing. Bradburn is located next to open space, which is undeveloped in support of running and biking trails. It is clear where Bradburn's borders are and where the surrounding neighborhoods start. Through conversation with members of the Bradburn community, it was made aware that all members must sign contracts stating they will follow the rules set in place by the homeowners association (HOA). With the evident existence of a HOA, I would assume that they have voting on where the revenue and resources are placed.
The neighborhood, the district, and the corridor
Bradburn was built essentially to build community. It offers pedestrian-friendly streets and walkways that promote other forms of transit beyond cars. Also, most houses are built with large covered porches promoting its residence to be outside and meet one another. As mentioned previously, there are a variety of different shops, parks, restaurants, churches, etc. which allows the elderly and youth to navigate easily. Bradburn also offers a wide range of housing. From listings taken from the community we saw houses anywhere between $300,000-800,000. This wide price range can help to diversify the community by age, race, socio-economic status and more. Finally, Bradburn did offer multiple different parks, with the largest one being near the center of the community. However, from personal testimony from members of the community, not many of them offered enough space, and only one was big enough to play a game of football in.
The block, the street, and the building
As previously noted, Bradburn was a neighborhood created with the intention of building community. Many of the neighborhoods shared streets, but also back alley's creating a better connection with neighbors on all sides of the house. Street lights were placed farther apart in hopes that most people would turn their porch lights on, and therefore spend more time on their porch. Streets are narrow and pedestrian-friendly adding a safe feeling to the environment. Public buildings are noticeable and visually pleasing giving off a friendly and inviting feeling and are usually placed at the end of a street.
Where Bradburn Falls Short
Where I believe Bradburn falls short of the charter, is the fact that it does not seem to have a simple theme. While walking around the community, it is easy to notice that there are a variety of different types of housing. While standing at the main park alone you can see large houses, smaller houses, apartments, and a quad-plex. According to the charter the architecture should represent the history, topography, and climate of the area. Bradburn however offered colonial style homes, metropolitan looking lofts, stone and brick homes, postcard houses and more. There was no central theme, and nothing that represented Colorado. I also believe Bradburns development was very fast paced, and one minute someone could buy a house due to its spectacular view of the mountains or open space, and the next minute that view was gone due to the new building or homes being built. In order to maximize profit, it was easier to build homes fast and cheap, rather than listen to what members of the community wanted.
Overall View on Bradburn
According to the Charter, I believe Bradburn does a great job of fitting the description. It easily builds community due to style, amenities, and being pedestrian-friendly. It values the surrounding area and open space, by not developing on it giving freedom and escape to the community. It appeals to a wide range of people, and is not favorable for one age group, race, class or other factor. Overall I believe Bradburn is a good community that fits almost all issues brought up in the charter.
0 comments: