Silent Siren

Streetwise Community Development Big-city traffic snarls in once-tranquil suburban settings. Outdated community patterns that provide ample access for private automobiles at the expense of public transport. As America's cities continue to expand and engulf surrounding suburbs,Michael Southworth and Eran Ben-Joseph's,Streets and the Shaping of Towns and Cities offers a new,sensible approach to street design—one that can help you reduce urban sprawl to create more cohesive,livable and energy-efficient communities and metropolitan areas. This illustrated planning tool shows you how street layouts shape the character of a community. . . how various street patterns can have dramatically different effects. . . how streets have changed due to the growth of technology. . . how a standard system can help communities grow in a rational manner. . . and more.

How Street Design can Make—or Break—a Community! How do street standards and layouts affect neighborhood character and livability?; How did residential street design standards come to exist and how have they changed over time?; How do residential street design approaches differ,from the winding paths of early picturesque suburbs or the openness and flow of the checkerboard grid,to the disconnected privacy of branching cul-de-sacs or the communal space of shared street?; What strategies and street design guidelines can designers,planners,and engineers use to reduce sprawl and reestablish a sense of community space? These are just some of the thought-provoking issues that are addressed in this unique,extensively illustrated book that explores the major impact that the design and layout of residential streetshas on thecharacter and quality of cities and suburbs. The authors examine the changing nature of street design in America and Great Britain over the past two centuries,showing how streets have changed over the years in response to social concerns and new technology,as well as aesthetic values. Drawing on the lessons learned from over 140 illustrative examples of streets and street patterns,the authors go on to recommend an approach to residential street design that is less rigidly controlled and more flexible,and that responds to local conditions.