DISTRICT and NEIGHBORHOOD Design Strategies

District and neighborhood design strategies encourage a pedestrian focus and community pride through clarity in bike and pedestrian greenway connections to activity centers, schools, parks, etc.-- creating effective neighborhood definition and nodes. The nodes combine transit, community information and focus as well as convenient recycling stations. The proposed district and neighborhood design strategies are summarized and illustrated below. Additional examples illustrate similar strategies implemented in other communities.


Existing (l) and Proposed (r) Neighborhood Sustainable Plan (A District would integrate 2 Neighborhoods.)



Existing (l) and Proposed (r) Neighborhood Qualities

The critical *District and Neighborhood design strategies* are as follows:

1.     priority streets with bikeways and transit networks tie the four prominent neighborhoods into two districts. Pedestrian accessible middle schools, commercial centers, and related park facilities become the district focus and integrate two pairs of neighborhoods together into districts.

2.     of the renewed quality of the neighborhoods, densification is preferred over low density sprawl. New low density developments have become unpopular because all new developments must provide and pay for their proportion of greenbelt, trees and infrastructure established by the community’s sustainable programs.

3.     green pedestrian street patterns foster walking accessibility to neighborhood facilities, parks, transit stations, recycling and compost centers and, most importantly, neighborhood schools. The neighborhood school becomes an active center and its central geographic location is critical to the pedestrian priority concept.


Proposed bus stop/nodes and landscape traffic calming deverters to pedestrianize neighborhood streets.		Green Pedestrian Streets are formed by landscaped traffic diverters developed within each intersection (Eugene, Oregon).

	4. Water conservation programs and gray water reuse needs to be implemented throughout the community.
	5. The successful resource management programs based on the 3 "Rs" (reduce, reuse and recycle) are integral parts of the community. The traditional garbage service is now a community resource recovery process.

Combining pedestrian / bikeways
with auto access (Village Homes,
Davis, CA, photo by Sandy Satterlee.)

Before and after green pedestrian / bikeways with water impoundment and permaculture (Village Homes Davis, CA)

Also Reference:

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Michael Mahaffy, Computer Systems Professional, School of Architecture, Washington State University

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updated 11/24/99

	1. priority streets with bikeways and transit networks tie the four prominent neighborhoods into two districts. Pedestrian accessible middle schools, commercial centers, and related park facilities become the district focus and integrate two pairs of neighborhoods together into districts.
	2. of the renewed quality of the neighborhoods, densification is preferred over low density sprawl. New low density developments have become unpopular because all new developments must provide and pay for their proportion of greenbelt, trees and infrastructure established by the community’s sustainable programs.
	3. green pedestrian street patterns foster walking accessibility to neighborhood facilities, parks, transit stations, recycling and compost centers and, most importantly, neighborhood schools. The neighborhood school becomes an active center and its central geographic location is critical to the pedestrian priority concept.