This message has been cross posted to the following Discussion Forums: Regional and Urban Design Committee and Committee on Design .
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Richard: You and David Ludwig are confusing what city planning is attempting to do with its current capability. There is no question that its tactics are inadequate and its strategy is confused. Its two-dimensional goal to separate building hazard and incompatible land use activity is even changing as it recognizes that cities are three-dimensional artificial environments. They consume the land of their dominant partner and have not learned to live within limits. As a result, they have not struck a sustainable balance with the natural environment and ecology of the planet, nor have they resolved their physical, social and economic deficiencies.
City planning must become city design in order to establish a sustainable relationship between the competing worlds of the natural and built environments. A strategy will be derived from an evaluation of development capacity (intensity) options. The tactics of architectural design will build our response one project at a time, but tactics without a goal and strategy (filtered from intelligence) produce random battles across the landscape. The result is many casualties and little progress.
In the end it is about the land - the amount we preserve and the amount we consume for shelter with urban form. Architects are uniquely qualified to consider this question, but they must think beyond the form, function and appearance of the box.
City design will depend on our ability to accurately forecast development capacity, since life within the limits required to preserve our natural partner will depend on our ability to wisely use every acre we consume to shelter the activities of growing populations. I can think of no greater challenge to the creative energy of architects, but you must be willing to step into the public arena using the language of development capacity evaluation. If you don't, you will continue to stand outside like a losing team complaining about the officials.
I have already exceeded the limits of a brief comment. If you wish to read more, please visit my blog at http://wmhosack.blogspot.com/ where the following articles can be found.
1) "Replacing Density" discusses its leadership weakness and intensity alternative,
2) "The Limits of Shelter Capacity" provides expanded detail regarding intensity,
3) "The City is a Farm" discusses the relationship of intensity to economic development,
4) "The Disorganized Zoning Ordinance" outlines the legislative confusion that impedes leadership progress,
5) "Examining Architecture" takes a closer look at a piece of the city design puzzle,
6) "The Variance Trap" illustrates development regulation weakness with a residential forecast model from the Development Capacity Evaluation (DCE) software collection,
7) "City Design with Space" discusses the overlooked role of project open space with a non-residential forecast model from the DCE collection,
8) "The Core of Our Built Environment" identifies the nucleus of development capacity
9) "Ponzi Schemes and Land Use Plans" offers an alternative to annexation and sprawl.
10) "Where Does Sustainability Begin?" discusses the importance of land in a competition between our natural and built environments.
11) "Economic Development Is Missing a Strategy" discusses the intelligence and strategic planning required to identify economic development objectives on the road to a sustainable future.
These articles have been deleted from my blog but are available upon request:
1) "The Concept of City Design" includes an overview and suggested research agenda,
2) "Politics and Planning" is an argument in support of the effort, and
3) "Context Measurement" outlines a suggested research yardstick.
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Walter Hosack
Author
Walter M. Hosack
Dublin OH
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