to make your community healthier, make it denser, by david dixon, stantec
DESCRIPTION
Panel discussion explores how cities can be designed and built to promote a culture of health and increase opportunities for active, social and healthy living. For more info, visit ceosforcitiesnationalmeeting.org.TRANSCRIPT
David Dixon FAIA
Senior Principal, Stantec
Leader, Stantec’s Urban Places Group November 4, 2014
CEOs for Cities National Meeting
To Make Your Community Healthier…Try Density
In the wake of 9/11
“Density kills….[It] is a
problem that will grow
only more explosive—
or infectious…”
December 2001 “Blueprint for a Better City”
Density saves lives
Inactivity and poor diet, largely associated with auto-dependent, low-density environments, caused “300,000 deaths in the United States… second only to tobacco.”
1996 report issued by the Centers for Disease Control
Density saves lives
How density saves lives
150-200 Chronic health conditions per
100 people
Miles per year
20,000-25,000
EXURBAN
How density saves lives
150-200 Chronic health conditions per
100 people
Miles per year
20,000-25,000
120-140
15,000-20,000
SUBURBAN EXURBAN
How density saves lives
150-200 Chronic health conditions per
100 people
Miles per year
20,000-25,000
120-140
15,000-20,000
100-120
5,000-10,000
URBAN SUBURBAN EXURBAN
Not all densities are created equal
Not all densities are created equal
Walkable density: 5-minute rule
A mix of housing, shopping, recreation and other choices within a 5-minute walk builds quality of life and makes active transportation a viable choice for most people. David Dixon led planning for suburban Dublin, Ohio’s new downtown when he was principal-in-charge of planning at Goody Clancy
Walkable density: 5-minute rule
A mix of housing, shopping, recreation and other choices within a 5-minute walk builds quality of life and makes active transportation a viable choice for most people. The Dublin plan is transforming 1,000 acres of shopping centers and similar uses into a “higher density, mixed-use downtown” organized into 5-minute walking districts.
Walkable density: 5-minute rule
A mix of housing, shopping, recreation and other choices within a 5-minute walk builds quality of life and makes active transportation a viable choice for most people. More than four million SF of mixed-use development is currently in the pipeline for Dublin.
Walkable density: every street has a job
•main streets (focus amenity, walkability) •primary streets (walkability, connections) • secondary streets (parking, service)
Stantec’s Urban Places Group led planning for Charlotte’s Hall House site to spur downtown growth (Charlotte Housing Authority, with Perkins and Will)
Walkable density: critical mass
Replace with Wei sketch
1,000 to 2,000 housing units within a 5-10 minute walk can bring a block of Main Street to life. Thresholds like these are critical to meeting meaningful density goals. More than 700 units on the Hall House site will hit a tipping point for reviving lifeless streets.
Walkable density: public benefits
Use density bonuses to fund “public goods”—lively squares, transit, arts, job training and affordable housing. Planning for redevelopment of the Hall House site focused on meeting thresholds to support shops and cafés along now-lifeless streets, affordable housing, an animated public realm, and parking for nearby sites. The plan creates a new public square on the site.
Walkable density: public-realm hierarchy
A multilayered hiearchy of spaces, from the most interactive to the most personal, builds community. David Dixon led planning and rezoning to guide the next chapter of growth in the Boston region’s leading innovation district, Kendall Square, while principal-in-charge of planning at Goody Clancy.
The Jane Jacobs paradox
Amenity-rich, walkable urban places create value...but reduce the economic diversity Jane Jacobs envisioned.
The Jane Jacobs paradox
Kendall Square’s
Amenity-rich, walkable urban places create value...but reduce the economic diversity Jane Jacobs envisioned.
The Jane Jacobs paradox
Equity is now a central issue in planning for growth. The 2010 census showed that, for the first time, more US poor live in suburbs than cities—rising more than 50% from 2000 in more than half of large US metros.
SO
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Density saves lives
David Dixon and Larissa Brown (leader of comprehensive planning for the Urban Places Group) receive the American Planning Association “Hard-Won Victory” Award for the New Orleans post-Katrina master plan, which they led while at Goody Clancy.
Stantec’s Urban Places Group: current and recent work
Cities and regions
Stantec’s Urban Places Group, with Goody Clancy, is preparing a smart-growth comprehensive plan for Corpus Christi, Texas
Downtown revival
Downtown Albany Strategic Plan
David Dixon and
Larissa Brown
receiving the
American Planning
Association’s Hard
Won Victory Award
for the New Orleans
Master Plan, which
they led while at
Goody Clancy
David Dixon led planning for Project Downtown in Wichita while principal-in-charge of planning at Goody Clancy.
Dublin, OH: Bridge Street Corridor plan
Stantec’s Urban Places Group planned West 5 in London, Ontario, the region’s first new suburban downtown.
New suburban centers and downtowns
Stantec’s Urban Places Group created the plan for Calgary’s new West Village, a mixed-use riverfront district that extends the city’s transit-oriented-centers policy. The district will grow to more than 8 millionSF and 5,000 residents.
Transit-oriented districts
Stantec’s Urban Places Group Neighborhood revitalization
Replace with
charlotte
CNIP image
from Matt
Stantec’s Urban Places Group is developing a revitalization plan for the 27 neighborhoods of the West Trade/ Rozzelles Ferry area in Charlotte.
Stantec’s Urban Places Group Urban infrastructure
Washington, DC: Streetcar System Land Use and Equity master plan
Stantec’s Urban Places Group is planning for significant infrastructure improvements and a new transit-oriented district in Stamford, Connecticut.
Urban mixed-use development
Stantec’s Urban Places Group’s plan for One Channel Center in Boston’s Seaport District mixes housing, retail, office, and a public square. Stantec Commercial Architecture Group—formerly ADD, Inc.—is the project architect.
Stantec’s Urban Places Group
By helping people manage the rising demand for urban life, we help shape more livable, equitable, and resilient communities.