Creating Traditional, Walkable Neighborhoods: A
Creating Traditional, Walkable Neighborhoods:A Handbook for Maine CommunitiesPrepared by the Maine State Planning OfficeJuly 2009
TR A D I T I O N A L N E I G H B O R H O O D SCreating Traditional, Walkable Neighborhoods: A Handbook for Maine CommunitiesJuly 2009Maine State Planning38 State House StationAugusta, Maine 04333www.maine.gov/spoOne of a series of guides from the Maine State Planning Office designed to assist municipalofficials and citizen boards with community and land use planning. These guides are available on-line at: .htmCommunity Visioning Handbook: How to Imagine and Create a Better Future, 2003Comprehensive Planning: A Manual for Maine Communities, 2005 EditionThe Great American Neighborhood: A Guide to Livable Design, June 2004Financing Infrastructure Improvements through Impact Fees: A Manual for MaineMunicipalities on the Design and Calculation of Development Impact Fees, January 2003Cover Photo: Town of StandishPrinted under Appropriation #010-07B-29072Maine State Planning Office
TR A D I T I O N A L N E I G H B O R H O O D SContentsCHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4CHAPTER II. PRINCIPLES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF TRADITIONAL, WALKABLE NEIGHBORHOODS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8CHAPTER III. NEIGHBORHOOD LOCATIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12CHAPTER IV. COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16CHAPTER V. ZONING CONSIDERATIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20CHAPTER VI. SUBDIVISION PROVISIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32CHAPTER VII. POLICY AND FINANCING CONSIDERATIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44CONCLUSION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50APPENDIX A: RESOURCES AND INFORMATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51APPENDIX B: SAMPLE ZONING ORDINANCE LANGUAGE FOR CREATING A NEIGHBORHOOD OVERLAY DISTRICT. . . . . . . . . .53APPENDIX C: SAMPLE SUBDIVISION ORDINANCE LANGUAGE FOR TRADITIONAL NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT. . . . . . .60Maine State Planning Office3
TR A D I T I O N A L N E I G H B O R H O O D SCHAPTER IIntroductionIn this chapter:A. Municipal policies toreviewB. Traditional neighborhooddefinedC. Philosophy behind thishandbookD. How to use this handbookMaine home buyers are lookingloooking forforo in-town locations for a number ofreasons: they like being closeclolose to shopsshhops and cultural amenities, they liketheir children to walkw lk towao scschoschool,hool, orr theyttheheyy want to save on gasoline, forexample. Yet manymanny of thesethehesese potentialpotenentitialal bbuybuyersuyers end up out in rural areas,because inin-townn-town housinghousinhoingg is nnotot bbeingeing bbuiltuiltuilt ttoo suit their needs.These buyersbuyebuy rs wantwant neighborhoneighborhoodshoods withth a sensensense of community, anabundanceabuabundadance of civic amenities, convenientcoonvnvenenieentn accaccessccesesss to goods and services,and a connection to nature.naturere. ThTheyey want wwalkablealkable neighborhoods withdesirableddesirasirablblee publicp blic as well aspuas privatepriivate placesprplacplacese areasa eas that are compact, yetarlivable. TTheyhey wawantnt nneighborhoodseighhboborhoodsd thatthah t ararere atattractive, safe, quiet, andpeaceful.peacacefefulul.Traditionaal, walTraditional,wwalkablelkak blble neighborhoodneighborhoodsds cacann ananswanswersweer their needs. Acrossthethe nation,natination, dedevelopers are respondingg to the demand for alternatives tothethe tytypicatypicalcall subusuburbanb rbanb subdivision; buildingbuilildibudingng residentialrese idential neighborhoodswith corner grocery stores and tree-linedstreetstrereee-lilinenedds thatt at peoplethpeoplp e love. Yet,requirementsordinancesrequrequirements commonly found in many local landnd usese ordinances aineeHow arHowaree tetermtermsrmss suchsuch asa riva“pacycy,” andand “diversity” converted into ordinances andd standstandards?dara ds? Theplanningplananniningng and designdesesigignn of suchsucch placesplacplaceses involveiinvnvolo ve thinkingthinknkiningg at ddiffiffeerentererent scalesTheyand levels of detailil andandd interrelationships.inttere relatitiononshshipips.s. TTheheyy necessitate vision andmunicipalitiesclear planningclplannniningn objectives.objecectitiveves. TheyThey require thatat municipalities be proactivedevelopment.in residentialresesidideential developmeentt.This handbook is designedd toThis handbook will helpoffiacquaint municipal officcialsialsmunicipal officials craft land useand citizen volunteerss wwithithregulations that foster traditionaltraditional,the elements of traditionnal,neighborhood development.walkable neighborhoodsds aandwith ways of crafting land useregulations and municipal policies that foster them.4Maine State Planning Office
TR A D I T I O N A L N E I G H B O R H O O D SA. Municipal Policies to ReviewThe premise is straightforward. If you want privatedevelopers to build quality neighborhoods in yourcommunity, your land use policies and related regulationsmust allow and encourage them to happen. Your comprehensive plan needs to identify whereand how walkable neighborhoods are allowed,as well as policies that support this type ofdevelopment. Your zoning ordinance needs to establish theappropriate use, dimensional, and performanceand design standards. Your subdivision regulations need to provideappropriate guidance and standards for designingnew neighborhoods, including the specificationsfor neighborhood-scale public improvements. Your capital improvements program must identifythe necessary sidewalks, sewers, water, and roads. Your community needs to assist with financing orapplying for the financing that will help make theneighborhood infrastructure more affordable.Finally, it all needs to come together in a coordinatedpackage so that the developer, the neighbors, theplanning board, and town officials are all on the samepage.B. Traditional NeighborhoodDefinedWhat is a traditional neighborhood? How does it differfrom the typical residential subdivision built in Maineover the last 50 years? A traditional neighborhood: is compact; is pedestrian oriented; provides a mix of housing; accommodates non-residential uses; provides opportunities to know yourneighbors and socialize; andMaine State Planning Office incorporates green space.They are sometimes referred to as walkableneighborhoods, mixed-use neighborhoods, compactneighborhoods, Great American Neighborhoods, orsimply traditional neighborhoods.Traditional neighborhoods get their name becausethey look to past patterns of development whenneighborhoods were recognized as such. They weredistinct areas, often identified closely with a local park,community school, or neighborhood store. This type ofneighborhood harkens back to the classic New EnglandVillage that featured quiet and shady streets lined withhomes, small shops along a main street, and a centergreen punctuated with a school or church.We have moved away from this type of residentialdevelopment, but there is a growing desire to returnto walkable, human-scaled neighborhoods that are thebuilding blocks of sustainable communities (see TheCongress for New Urbanism).C. Philosophy behind theHandbookThis handbook is part of a series of planning aidsprovided by the State Planning Office designed topromote in-town living and ease the pressure to developthe countryside (See Appendix A). In other words, thisis a key strategy in reducing sprawl. Sprawl consumesrural land and erodes the social capital that binds acommunity together. Sprawl increases taxes for publicservices such as schools and public safety and for newroads and their maintenance and repairs. It degradeswater and air quality and results in the loss of openspace, wildlife habitat, and community character.Maine has taken a market-based, “smart growth”approach to the problem of sprawl. Three major conceptsunderpin this approach: People should be free to choose where theywant to live. But they should also be willing, asindividuals, to pay for their decisions. Healthy organisms don’t die. If our villages,town centers, and cities are healthy, they will hold5
TR A D I T I O N A L N E I G H B O R H O O D Stheir own. Similarly, if our rural areas with theirresource-based enterprises are healthy, they willbetter resist the negative, cumulative, effects ofsprawl. Developers don’t cause sprawl. Theyimplement public policy. While they are notpassive bystanders, they have a financial incentiveto follow established town standards in buildingand selling their products. If obstacles to qualityneighborhood development in areas designatedfor growth are minimized, developers cancontribute to efficient patterns of development.Traditional neighborhoods are the antidote tosprawl. Some Mainers want to live in the countryside.Others would rather live in an in-town, residentialneighborhood, but can’t find a nice, in-town homeprotected from noise and traffic in an attractive andinteresting neighborhood. As a result these people moveto the country, even though it isn’t their first choice. Thefirst defense against sprawl is creating interesting andvibrant neighborhoods. This handbook shows the wayfor municipal officials.Rockland, Maine StreetscapeTerrence J. Dewan photoD. How to Use this HandbookThis handbook considers each of a municipality’s policiesthat impact land use. It is designed to help you reviewyour existing comprehensive plan, zoning ordinance,subdivision regulations, and capital investment planand policies and to revise them, if necessary, to allow forthe development of quality traditional neighborhoodsin designated areas of your community. We suggest the6following approach for using the handbook:1. Understand the concept of es you with an overview of a traditionalneighborhood including their benefits, theprinciples upon which they are based, and theirkey characteristics.2. Decide where you want traditional neighborhooddevelopment in your community. Chapter IIIdiscusses the types of locations in which it istypically appropriate.3. Review your adopted comprehensive plan to seeif your land use policies and strategies supportneighborhood development and whetherneighborhood development is provided for inyour identified growth locations. The plan shouldestablish the appropriate policies and capitalinvestments needed to support neighborhooddevelopment. If not, amend your comprehensiveplan to make the community’s policy withrespect to neighborhood development clear.Chapter IV addresses comprehensive planningconsiderations.4. With your comprehensive plan in order, reviewyour zoning ordinance. Chapter V looks atthe zoning issues related to neighborhooddevelopment. Your first consideration shouldbe how you want to handle neighborhooddevelopment in terms of a zoning district. Shouldyou revise an existing zone, create a new zone,or possibly create an overlay district? Then workthrough the various provisions of the zone purpose, allowed uses, dimensional standards,and performance and design standards - that willassure that any neighborhood development is agood place to live and a positive addition to yourcommunity. Sample ordinance language will helpyou craft zoning provisions that are appropriatefor your community and for the areas that youhave designated for neighborhood development.Any zoning changes must be consistent with theadopted comprehensive plan.5. Review and revise your subdivision regulationsso that your land development and publicimprovement standards are appropriate forneighborhood development.Chapter VIaddresses the subdivision and design standardsMaine State Planning Office
TR A D I T I O N A L N E I G H B O R H O O D Snecessary to allow successful neighborhooddevelopment and provides sample provisions. Inthis process, you will want to consider whether anyof the proposals for neighborhood developmentshould apply to other subdivision development aswell.New Great American Neighborhood, Southern Maine6. Review the considerations related to neighborhooddevelopment discussed in Chapter VII, includinginfrastructure financing, to see if you need tochange in other municipal policies.Companion GuideYou may also want to review the design principlesand real-world examples illustrated in a companionpublication, The Great American Neighborhood:Contemporary Design Principles for BuildingLivable Residential Communities,” June 2004.Gorham,MaineAerialFinally, as you use thishandbook,you canbe creative inapplying its principles. In the final analysis, it doesn’t matterif the pedestrian facility is a five-foot paved sidewalk, astone dust path, or a trail through the field, for example.What does matter is that there is pedestrian networkthat serves the neighborhood and that it is appropriatefor your community. Use the ideas and samples includedin this handbook as a guide, but not as a cookie-cutter.You need to think through your community’s scale andvalues and develop standards and provisions that areappropriate.SPO file photoKingfield, MaineTerrence J. DeWan photoTerrence J. DeWan photoMaine State Planning Office7
TR A D I T I O N A L N E I G H B O R H O O D SCHAPTER IIPrinciples and Characteristics ofTraditional, Walkable NeighborhoodsThis chapter describes the:A. Benefits of traditionalneighborhoodsTraditional neighbneighborhoodsborhooods look very diffdifferenterent thantypical suburban subdivisionssubbdivvisions and to foster theirdevelopment,developmennt, mumunicipaluniccipal ooffifficcialsials must understandthese differendifferences.nces.B. Principles of traditionalneighborhood designC. Characteristics oftraditional neighborhoodsD. Interrelationship oftraditional neighborhoodcomponents8Maine State Planning Office
TR A D I T I O N A L N E I G H B O R H O O D SA. Benefits of TraditionalNeighborhoodsTraditional, walkable neighborhoods benefit communitiesand their residents alike. They can: lower municipal costs by taking advantage ofexisting infrastructure instead of building new; encourage new business and job creation in villagecenters due to allowed increased densities andtypes of development; enhance property tax revenue since homes intraditional neighborhoods tend to increase invalue faster than typical suburban developments; meet the housing needs of people of all incomelevels through an emphasis on diverse housingtypes; conserve land and natural resources by preventingsprawl and protecting open space; reduce fuel use and driving expenses ofresidents with their focus on walking and localconsumption; lower carbon emissions that affect climate changethrough fostering compact, in-town developmentrather than spreading out growth; result in neighbors knowing and trusting eachother, being socially engaged, and participating incivic life; and have positive health benefits by providingpedestrian options that encourage walking.B. Principles of TraditionalNeighborhood DesignTraditional neighborhoods embody seven principles.1. Compact, safe, and walkableTraditional neighborhoods are walkable. A walkableneighborhood is defined by the distance a person canwalk in about 10 minutes. People are less likely to thinkof areas farther away as part of their neighborhood. Tobe walkable, a neighborhoods needs to be compact.Sidewalks and street lighting contribute to safety.Maine State Planning Office2. Elements of surprise and varietyTraditional neighborhoods have a diversity of housingtypes and a mix of neighborhood uses. Homes areattractive and well sited; they sit on reasonably sizedlots with private outdoor spaces. Lot sizes often vary tocater to different home buyers’ preferences. Differencesin building design, architectural detail, landscaping, andside yard set backs break the mold of a cookie cutterpattern. Unique and varied treatments of side yardssurprise and delight the senses as one walks down thestreet.3. Interconnected streetsThere is a network of interconnected streets withfew dead-ends. Streets are narrow and designed tominimize speeding and shortcuts. Local streets do notcarry through traffic. They also have strong links —viasidewalks and trails —to adjoining neighborhoods,schools, shopping areas, and parks.4. IdentityTraditional neighborhoods have a recognizable identityandboundariesthat separate oneTraditional neighborhoodsneighborhood fromcan lower municipal costs byanother. They maytaking advantage of existinginfrastructure instead ofalso have a green orbuilding new.a crossroad with civicbuildings, communitycenters, and/or smallshops and services that are readily recognizable andoften give the neighborhood its identity.5. Human scaleTraditional neighborhoods have a human scale thatmakes people feel comfortable in them. Civic amenities,landscaped streets, shaded sidewalks, and open spaceenrich the quality of life in these neighborhoods.6. Public and private placesTraditional neighborhoods provide for both chancemeetings and personal privacy through their streetsystem, pedestrian network, and lot design. The “publicface” of most houses (front door, porch, front yard)looks toward the street. There are also places for social9
TR A D I T I O N A L N E I G H B O R H O O D Sinteraction, from common greens to public communitycenters. Back yards are private.7. Connection to natureTraditional neighborhoods offer a connection to naturethrough a consciously designed open space system. Theopen space is made up of formal elements (i.e., publicparks), recreational elements (i.e., playgrounds), andinformal elements (i.e., fields and woods). All three typescreate a livable neighborhood that balances the publicwith the private, the convenient access of town with therestorative power of nature, and the best of the city withthe tranquility of the country.2. An interconnected street networkThe neighborhood needs to connect houses withgreen space and community facilities both within andoutside of the neighborhood itself. The street network isa key element for creating this inter-connectedness. Thetypical suburban approach of building dead-ends or culde-sac works against connectedness. Instead, the streetsmust link houses to schools to stores to parks. At thesame time, the streets need to be friendly for pedestrians.The network must encourage slow travel speeds and tominimize drivers “cutting-through” the neighborhood.Blocks should be short to increase walkability.3. Dual purpose lot layoutC. Characteristics of TraditionalNeighborhoodsTraditional neighborhoods have six key characteristics.1. Enough density to be walkableThe key to successful traditional neighborhood designis to provide appropriate intensity of development (i.e.,enough housing units per acre). The desired density canvary, depending upon the setting and the community.It might be as low as two dwelling units per acre (or20,000-square-foot-lots) in smaller towns withoutmunicipal sewerage, or it might be as high as 16 ormore units per acre in urban
in residential development. This handbook is designed to acquaint municipal offi cials and citizen volunteers with the elements of traditional, . neighborhoods, mixed-use neighborhoods, compact neighborhoods, Great Ame
Walkable neighborhood design also promotes the economic vitality of communities, bringing business and economic opportunities to residents. High-density, mixed use development allows the opportunity for residents to meet all of their basic needs within the community. All of these reasons argue for walkable communities in order to promote healthy,
architecture for traditional neighborhoods. We use the word “traditional” to describe what we have learned from the past, focusing on the characteristics that . made historic neighborhoods successful. But as we look to the past for insight, we also need to be creative and incorporate rec
Investing in Middle Neighborhoods Author: Broward County Subject: Broward Housing Council briefing Investing in Middle Neighborhoods by David Sanchez Keywords: Broward Housing Council briefing Investing in Middle Neighborhoods by David Sanchez BHC Annual Affordable Housing Workshop Created Date: 10/15/2020 9:14:00 AM
and strong multifamily neighborhoods. Bellevue has shown its commitment to neighborhoods by providing planning and services that have made these highly desirable places to live. Bellevue has been successful at cultivating a vibrant urban center downtown, providing amenities that attract a thriving residential and business community.
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household’s economic and social resources; housing discrimination has limited the ability of many blacks and Hispanics to live in health-promoting neighborhoods. The concentration of substandard housing in less-advantaged neighborhoods further compounds racial a
AND ORGANIZATIONS ABSTRACT We propose and inductively explore neighborhoods, a tacit social structure connecting individuals and organizations. Neighborhoods are clusters of individuals’ organizational reference groups, in which the people each individual knows are demographically-similar to the people other individuals know.
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