Making a "Visible" Difference
by Edward McMahon

What does it take to transform a community from Anyplace, USA into someplace special? Ed McMahon looks at five ways of making a visible difference: build to the sidewalk; put parking behind new buildings; separate density from lot size; develop design guidelines for new commercial buildings; and use incentives, not just regulations.

Planning commissioners are often overwhelmed by the press of routine business such as variance requests, subdivision approvals, re-zoning applications, and the like. As a result, they often have little time to think about what their communities will look like in the future.

Unfortunately, most zoning codes are proscriptive in nature. They merely try to prevent bad things from happening, without offering a vision of how things ought to be. But suppose you could do just one or two things to drastically improve the future character and appearance of your community, what would they be?

In recent years, a number of well known planners, architects, and community visionaries have recommended a few simple steps to transform a community from "Anyplace, USA" into someplace special. Let's take a look at some of these visionary recommendations and find out where you can learn more about them.

1. Build to the Sidewalk -- In his popular book, City Comforts, author David Sucher illustrates how suburban style setbacks have destroyed the fabric of many small towns and urban areas. His recommendation: "build to the sidewalk."

Thanks to local design guidelines, this new drug store in Lancaster, Pennsylvania is oriented to the pedestrian, with parking and a drive-thru located behind, not in front of, the store.

This would allow buildings to define and activate streets and squares as if they were outdoor rooms. According to Sucher, the only buildings pulled back, "freestanding," from the street should be important civic buildings such as the City Hall, Public Library, or Courthouse. Changing your local codes to require "build to" rather than "setback" lines is one measure which could dramatically transform a community. ...

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