Create attractive neighborhoods by taking advantage of each site's most desirable qualities. Here you'll find solutions for challenges from infill sites to phased community development. Includes over 20 housing choices for a variety of land forms and regional styles.

Publisher's Note: Products purchased from Third Party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product. Essential site planning and design strategies, up-to-date with the latest sustainable development techniques Discover how to incorporate sound environmental considerations into traditional site design processes. Written by a licensed landscape architect with more than 20 years of professional experience, this authoritative guide combines established approaches to site planning with sustainable practices and increased environmental sensitivity. Fully revised and updated, Site Planning and Design Handbook, Second Edition discusses the latest standards and protocols-including LEED. The book features expanded coverage of green site design topics such as water conservation, energy efficiency, green building materials, site infrastructure, and brownfield restoration. This comprehensive resource addresses the challenges associated with site planning and design and lays the groundwork for success. Site Planning and Design Handbook, Second Edition explains how to: Integrate sustainability into site design Gather site data and perform site analysis Meet community standards and expectations Plan for pedestrians, traffic, parking, and open space Use grading techniques to minimize erosion and maximize site stability Implement low-impact stormwater management and sewage disposal methods Manage brownfield redevelopment Apply landscape ecology principles to site design Preserve historic landscapes and effectively utilize vegetation

Cities are growing at unprecedented rates. Most continue to sprawl into the countryside. Some are only now adopting policies that attempt to control air pollution from vehicles, reduce water pollution from urban runoff, and repair fragmented urban ecosystems. Can good urban design and sound environmental design coincide at a neighborhood level to create healthy communities? Absolutely, and the strategies presented by Cynthia Girling and Ronald Kellett in Skinny Streets and Green Neighborhoods illustrate how to weave together contemporary thinking in urban planning with open space planning and urban ecology. Drawing from eighteen case studies, these green neighborhoods are the best examples of how the natural environment can play integral roles in neighborhoods. Green neighborhoods offer a mix of housing types in order to serve a broad cross-section of people with a finely-grained variety of land uses and services, all close to home. In ecologically sound communities, the urban landscape is a functioning part of the whole ecosystem. Wooded areas, meandering streams, wetlands, and open spaces are planned and engineered to clean the air and the water. Skinnier streets and practical pathways weave into a functional, economical network to provide a range of equally good transportation choices, from walking to mass transit, that move people efficiently and economically. This book moves beyond identifying problems to demonstrate proven methods and models that solve multiple, complex problems in concert. With innovative ideas and practical advice, Skinny Streets and Green Neighborhoods is a guide for today's planners, architects, engineers, and developers to design better neighborhoods and a more natural metropolis.

The process-oriented guide to context-sensitive site selection, planning, and design Sustainable design is responsive to context. And each site has a unique set of physical, biological, cultural, and legal attributes that presents different opportunities and constraints for alternative uses of the site. Site analysis systematically evaluates these on-site and off-site factors to inform the design of places including neighborhoods and communities that are attractive, walkable, and climate-resilient. This Third Edition of Site Analysis is fully updated to cover the latest topics in low-impact, location-efficient design and development. This complete, user-friendly guide: Blends theory andpractice from the fields of landscape architecture, urban planning, architecture, geography, and urban design Addresses important sustainability topics, including LEED-ND, Sustainable Sites, STAR community index, and climate adaptation Details the objectives and visualization methods used in each phase of the site planning and design process Explains the influence of codes, ordinances, and site plan approval processes on the design of the built environment Includes more than 200 illustrations and eight case studies of projects completed by leading planning and design firms Site Analysis, Third Edition is the ideal guide for students taking courses in site analysis, site planning, and environmental design. New material includes review questions at the end of each chapter for students as well as early-career professionals preparing for the ARE, LARE, or AICP exams.

Based on Urban Design Associates’ in-house training procedures, this unique handbook details the techniques and working methods of a major urban design and planning firm. Covering the process from basic principles to developed designs, the book outlines the range of project types and services that urban designers can offer and sets out a set of general operating guidelines and procedures for: Developing a master plan, including techniques for engaging citizens in the design process and technical analysis to evaluate the physical form of the neighborhood, centered on a design charrette with public participation; Preparing a pattern book to guide residential construction in a new traditional town, including the documentation of architectural and urban precedents in a form that can be used by architects and builders; Implementing contextual architectural design, including methods of applying the essential qualities of traditional architecture in many styles to modern programs and construction techniques. This invaluable guide offers an introductory course in urbanism as well as an operations manual for architects, planners, developers, and public officials.

Capitalize on a Comprehensive New Process for Planning and Designing Sustainable Green Communities Written by internationally renowned architect Avi Friedman, Sustainable Residential Development equips you with a much-needed process and examples for planning and designing green communities. This landmark resource explains the principles of green building and how to apply them to residential development, presenting guidelines for creating communities that balance social, economic, and environmental needs. Filled with plans, elevations, and vignettes, the book shows how to incorporate wind direction, sun exposure, tree preservation, topography, and public spaces into site plan. It also shows how to design high-density neighborhoods...apply green design and construction principles by using local materials and techniques, solar power, waste management, and water efficiency...as well as rehabilitate neighborhoods while respecting their heritage. Sustainable Residential Development features: Expert guidelines for planning and designing communities that balance social, economic, and environmental needs A wealth of international and U.S. case studies and examples that illustrate the principles of sustainable community design Over 100 downloadable plans and elevations that offer a head start for planning and designing sustainable communities Inside this Green Planning and Design Guide: • Defining and Applying Principles of Sustainability in Neighborhood Development • Learning Lessons from the Past: The Rise of Suburbia • Site Selection and Analysis • Strategies for High-Density Neighborhoods: The New Urbanism • Planning, Design, and Construction Principles for Sustainability • The Urban Renewal Process and Architectural Heritage • Balancing Environmental, Cultural, and Economic Needs: A Framework for Greener Neighborhoods

Abandoned lots and litter-strewn pathways, or rows of green beans and pockets of wildflowers? Graffiti-marked walls and desolate bus stops, or shady refuges and comfortable seating? What transforms a dingy, inhospitable area into a dynamic gathering place? How do individuals take back their neighborhood? Neighborhoods decline when the people who live there lose their connection and no longer feel part of their community. Recapturing that sense of belonging and pride of place can be as simple as planting a civic garden or placing some benches in a park. The Great Neighborhood Book explains how most struggling communities can be revived, not by vast infusions of cash, not by government, but by the people who live there. The author addresses such challenges as traffic control, crime, comfort and safety, and developing economic vitality. Using a technique called "placemaking"-- the process of transforming public space -- this exciting guide offers inspiring real-life examples that show the magic that happens when individuals take small steps, and motivate others to make change. This book will motivate not only neighborhood activists and concerned citizens but also urban planners, developers and policy-makers.

Architect and author Chapin describes existing pocket neighborhoods and co-housing communities while providing inspiration for creating new ones.

A new way forward for sustainable quality of life in cities of all sizes Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Build American Prosperity is a book of forward-thinking ideas that breaks with modern wisdom to present a new vision of urban development in the United States. Presenting the foundational ideas of the Strong Towns movement he co-founded, Charles Marohn explains why cities of all sizes continue to struggle to meet their basic needs, and reveals the new paradigm that can solve this longstanding problem. Inside, you’ll learn why inducing growth and development has been the conventional response to urban financial struggles—and why it just doesn’t work. New development and high-risk investing don’t generate enough wealth to support itself, and cities continue to struggle. Read this book to find out how cities large and small can focus on bottom-up investments to minimize risk and maximize their ability to strengthen the community financially and improve citizens’ quality of life. Develop in-depth knowledge of the underlying logic behind the “traditional” search for never-ending urban growth Learn practical solutions for ameliorating financial struggles through low-risk investment and a grassroots focus Gain insights and tools that can stop the vicious cycle of budget shortfalls and unexpected downturns Become a part of the Strong Towns revolution by shifting the focus away from top-down growth toward rebuilding American prosperity Strong Towns acknowledges that there is a problem with the American approach to growth and shows community leaders a new way forward. The Strong Towns response is a revolution in how we assemble the places we live.

Written by the chair of the LEED-Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) initiative, Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design with Nature is both an urgent call to action and a comprehensive introduction to "sustainable urbanism"--the emerging and growing design reform movement that combines the creation and enhancement of walkable and diverse places with the need to build high-performance infrastructure and buildings. Providing a historic perspective on the standards and regulations that got us to where we are today in terms of urban lifestyle and attempts at reform, Douglas Farr makes a powerful case for sustainable urbanism, showing where we went wrong, and where we need to go. He then explains how to implement sustainable urbanism through leadership and communication in cities, communities, and neighborhoods. Essays written by Farr and others delve into such issues as: Increasing sustainability through density. Integrating transportation and land use. Creating sustainable neighborhoods, including housing, car-free areas, locally-owned stores, walkable neighborhoods, and universal accessibility. The health and environmental benefits of linking humans to nature, including walk-to open spaces, neighborhood stormwater systems and waste treatment, and food production. High performance buildings and district energy systems. Enriching the argument are in-depth case studies in sustainable urbanism, from BedZED in London, England and Newington in Sydney, Australia, to New Railroad Square in Santa Rosa, California and Dongtan, Shanghai, China. An epilogue looks to the future of sustainable urbanism over the next 200 years. At once solidly researched and passionately argued, Sustainable Urbanism is the ideal guidebook for urban designers, planners, and architects who are eager to make a positive impact on our--and our descendants'--buildings, cities, and lives.